BEIRUT, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- A boat carrying illegal migrants sank Tuesday off the northern Lebanese coast, with 54 Syrians onboard being rescued by the Lebanese army and the Lebanese Red Cross.
The army said in a statement that the illegal migrants, including women and children, were seeking to "escape" Lebanon by sea when the vessel sank off the coast of Arida village in the Akkar Governorate.
Citing a security source, local news outlet L'Orient Today reported that the ship broke down in an illegal immigration attempt to reach Cyprus.
Lebanese security agencies have recently stepped up efforts to combat illegal immigration, as over the past few months, an increasing number of Syrian and Palestinian refugees, in addition to Lebanese citizens, attempted to leave crisis-ridden Lebanon illegally by sea. ■
