Submarine search crew find seven bodies inside migrant ship that sank in April

BEIRUT — The Australian charity AusRelief in charge of submarine operations in search of some 30 bodies believed in a vessel that sank April 23 off the coast of Tripoli, North Lebanon, has found seven bodies aboard the shipwreck. Earlier today, an army spokesperson had told L'Orient Today that the army doubts any bodies are still inside the boat. The army also said Friday that it will study a plan to re-float the craft, Col. Fadi Abou Eid told L’Orient Today.

Here’s what we know:

 •  The submarine crew on Thursday found the boat that was carrying dozens of passengers hoping to make a clandestine passage to Europe, the Lebanese Army tweeted. According to the army, the vessel was found off the coast of Tripoli at a depth of 459 meters, some 130 meters from the shipwreck site.

 •  Earlier Friday, Abou Eid told L’Orient Today that upon finding the boat, the crew was only able to snap pictures of it and document its exact location. “They do not have a submarine camera with an arm that can peek into the boat to see what’s inside,” he said, hours before the discovery of the bodies was announced.

 •  Abou Eid also said at the time that the army was doubting that any bodies would still be inside the boat, adding that the relief crew would devise a plan to re-float the boat, which may help free any bodies or objects still inside. Abou Eid added that the process must be very meticulous and might require time to study.

 •  Nearly 85 passengers boarded the boat last April, in hopes of making the passage to Europe and escaping Lebanon’s economic crisis. The army intercepted the ship about 5.5 kilometers off the Lebanese coast, but there are conflicting versions of what caused the sinking. The army claims that the boat sank because it was overloaded. The survivors claim that the military vessel collided with the boat on purpose. About 40 of the passengers are believed to have died, some of whose bodies are still missing.