Search
Search

SHIPWRECK

Submarine operation in search of Tripoli migrant shipwreck postponed due to bad weather conditions

Submarine operation in search of Tripoli migrant shipwreck postponed due to bad weather conditions

Lebanese army soldiers aboard a ship off the coast to monitor the search operations for the victims of the sinking, Aug. 22, 2022. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)

BEIRUT — The submarine search operation off the coast of Tripoli, North Lebanon, intended at extracting the bodies of some 30 people who are believed to still be trapped in the boat, was postponed Monday afternoon due to bad weather conditions after it started in the morning, the Lebanese Army announced.

The Lebanese Army explained in a tweet that the search operation was called off for the day “due to high waves that threaten the safety of the submarine and the crew.” The decision came more than six hours after the submarine began the search for the boat, which sank to a depth of about 400 meters.

The submarine, which arrived in Lebanon on Wednesday, set sail on Monday in the direction of the site of the boat, which sank on April 23. Lebanese Army soldiers were also on board a ship to follow the search for the victims.

The submarine in charge of the search operations, off Tripoli (North Lebanon), on Aug. 22, 2022, for the migrants who died following the sinking of a clandestine boat off Qalamoun. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)

Present at the scene, Col. Haytham Dennaoui, the Lebanese Navy commander, said that three people are on board the submarine, which can reach a depth of 2,180 meters. He said that the navy has created an operation room to closely follow the operation. The colonel stressed that “this mission will continue for several days, depending on the results.” He called on citizens to stay away from the search area.

MP Ashraf Rifi (independent/Tripoli), who was also present at the scene, said Wednesday that the submarine, owned by a company registered in India, is carrying out this operation in collaboration with an Australian rescue team. According to Rifi, its rental cost $251,000, a sum financed by the Lebanese diaspora in Australia, among others.

Nearly 85 passengers boarded a smuggler boat last April, heading for Europe, to escape the economic crisis in Lebanon. The ship was intercepted by the army about 5.5 kilometers off the Lebanese coast, but there are two conflicting versions as to the cause of the sinking. The army claims that the boat sank because of the overload of passengers on board. The survivors, on the other hand, claim that the military boat purposely collided with the boat. Among the passengers, about 40 people are believed to have died, among those whose bodies were recovered and those still missing.

BEIRUT — The submarine search operation off the coast of Tripoli, North Lebanon, intended at extracting the bodies of some 30 people who are believed to still be trapped in the boat, was postponed Monday afternoon due to bad weather conditions after it started in the morning, the Lebanese Army announced.The Lebanese Army explained in a tweet that the search operation was called off for the day...