Lebanon migrant boat death toll hits seven as funerals held in Tripoli


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The families of migrants who died when their boat capsized off Lebanon's northern coast held funerals in the port city of Tripoli on Monday while rescue efforts continued to find dozens still missing.

The body of a woman was found on Monday in the search for survivors, raising the death toll to seven, Reuters reported. The small dinghy sank off the coast near Tripoli while being pursued by naval forces.

In the capital's Bab Al Tebbaneh neighbourhood, large crowds gathered for funerals of the victims, including a boy and a young man from the Dandachi family who buried their loved ones while desperate to hear the fate of another eight still missing, among them children.

Amid Dandachi, 38, said he and his wife had barely survived the sinking. Their missing children likely had not.

"I tried to grab my son but I got a blanket instead. The water took him from me," he said, his eyes red from crying.

His brother Bilal was also still waiting to know what had happened to his two children and wife, whose bodies he suspects are trapped in the sunken dinghy.

In the same neighbourhood, another funeral was being held for two more victims of the disaster, a young girl and a woman from the Sammak family. Men on foot and on motorcycles fired rifles into the air in mourning as they accompanied the bodies to the cemetery.

“The rescue operations went on all night and the Lebanese army was able to find the body of a woman. The total number of victims is now seven,” said Ahmad Tamer, head of the Tripoli's port authority.

The Lebanese army said on Sunday that 48 people had been rescued. It was not clear how many would-be asylum-seekers were crammed on to the boat when it set forth.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said the boat was carrying at least 84 people when it capsized, about 5.5 kilometres off the coast of Tripoli, AFP reported.

The passengers were mostly Lebanese, with some Syrian and Palestinian refugees on board, the army said.

The circumstances that led to the small, overloaded craft sinking were not entirely clear, with some survivors claiming the navy rammed their boat. Officials said people smugglers in charge of the vessel attempted reckless escape manoeuvres.

Lebanese army soldiers search for survivors after a boat capsized off the Lebanese coast of Tripoli overnight, near port of Tripoli, northern Lebanon April 24, 2022. REUTERS / Omar Ibrahim
Lebanese army soldiers search for survivors after a boat capsized off the Lebanese coast of Tripoli overnight, near port of Tripoli, northern Lebanon April 24, 2022. REUTERS / Omar Ibrahim

Lebanon was once a transit point for asylum seekers from elsewhere in the region who were hoping to reach the shores of European Union member Cyprus by sea, an island 175km away.

Lebanon's currency has lost more than 90 per cent of its value and pushed waves of Lebanese and Syrian refugees to attempt the dangerous sea journey to Europe on small dinghies.

At the weekend, relatives of the victims gathered in agitated crowds outside hospitals in Tripoli where the injured were being treated.

A few men waited outside the port on Monday morning in the hope of finding out about missing loved ones.

RESULT

Bayern Munich 0 AC Milan 4
Milan: Kessie (14'), Cutrone (25', 43'), Calhanoglu (85')

'Ashkal'
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  • 400m Olympic running track
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  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
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Results:

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7.05pm: Handicap (rated 72-87) Dh 165,000 1,600m.
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Maestro
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ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY

Starting at 10am:

Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang

Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)

Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)

Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera 

Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THREE
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UAE%20PREMIERSHIP
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ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Explainer: Tanween Design Programme

Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.

The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.

It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.

The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.

Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”

Updated: April 25, 2022, 9:33 PM`