Beirut (agencies)
Yesterday, the Lebanese army announced the arrest of 5 people in the northern city of Tripoli, while they were preparing to smuggle 85 migrants by boat to Europe.
The army said that the smugglers were arrested late yesterday evening, while they were preparing to send 85 people on a boat, following collecting a total of $400,000 from them. He added that the boat was confiscated in a sea resort in the north of the country, and that the detainees were being interrogated.
The announcement came days following a boat carrying more than 60 migrants capsized on April 23 off the coast of Tripoli. Seven bodies were recovered, 47 people were rescued, and the rest are still missing. Survivors blamed the Lebanese navy for causing the accident by colliding with the boat. Last Tuesday, the Lebanese government commissioned the military judiciary to investigate the sinking of the migrant boat.
Search and rescue efforts are still underway to locate those who remain unaccounted for since last weekend’s incident.
Survivors accused the Navy of deliberately colliding with the ship while trying to force it back to shore. Lebanese officials blamed smugglers for intentionally overloading the boat and for evading safety precautions.