BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army prevented a boat with 85 migrants on board from setting sail at the Port of Tripoli and arrested five people suspected of having organized the crossing, the army said on Friday. This arrest comes a week after the sinking of a migrant boat off Qalamoun, south of Tripoli, which killed at least six and left around 30 missing.
Here’s what we know:
• The five arrested individuals “were using a boat that they bought, prepared and maintained from money collected” from migration seekers, which amounts to “approximately $400,000” specifies the press release. The boat was seized in Tripoli’s port, near a seaside resort and an investigation has been opened.
• On Sunday, the army said the boat sank just after leaving Qalamoun, south of Tripoli, last Saturday due to it being over safe capacity. One of the survivors disputed this, saying the boat sank after being chased by the army. "The patrol boat hit our boat twice," he told AFP at the Port of Tripoli, before families of survivors asked him to be quiet.