Death toll from sinking of migrant boat rises to 94

The death toll from a boat that sank off the Syrian coast after sailing from Lebanon last week has risen to 94, Syrian state TV said last weekend.

The country’s transport ministry has quoted survivors as saying the boat left Lebanon’s northern Minyeh region bound for Europe with between 120 and 150 people on board. Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, described the incident as a “heart-wrenching tragedy”.

At least 14 people rescued were recovering in hospitals in Syria, while six others were discharged and two remained in intensive care, Syria’s Sana news agency reported.