Syrian boats search for victims of a migrant boat which sank off the Syrian shore last Thursday in the city of Tartous, Syria, Sept. 25, 2022.Photo:Xinhua

 
A total of 102 bodies have so far been found after a boat carrying illegal migrants capsized off the Syrian shore, while 40 others were still missing, a war monitor reported on Sunday.

Twenty people have been rescued by the Syrian authorities, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The boat, which was carrying up to 150 immigrants, set off from Lebanon on Tuesday and was heading toward Europe. It sank near the shore of the Syrian coastal city of Tartous on Thursday, according to Syrian official statements.

The immigrants were Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinians, who were trying to escape the harsh living conditions and economic hardships in their regions.

Syrian state news agency SANA cited some Lebanese official sources saying that one suspect was rounded up over charges of being one of the planners of the deadly trip.

A Syrian Red Crescent worker helps move the bodies of victims of a migrant boat which sank off the Syrian shore last Thursday in the city of Tartous, Syria, Sept. 25, 2022.Photo:Xinhua

 

A Syrian Red Crescent worker helps move the bodies of victims of a migrant boat which sank off the Syrian shore last Thursday in the city of Tartous, Syria, Sept. 25, 2022.Photo:Xinhua