A Civil Defence boat searches for drowning victims. (Photo sent by Samir Yazbeck)
The Civil Defense announced on Tuesday morning that it found the body of a second missing drowning victim, for whom it had been searching for several days, off the coast of the public beach Ramlet al-Baida (Beirut). The body of the first victim was discovered on Monday evening, one kilometer off the coast by the Civil Defense's sea rescue department.
The two men were part of a group of seven young Syrian nationals who had found themselves trapped in the water at Ramlet al-Baida on Saturday, due to strong currents that day. Four of them were quickly rescued by the lifeguards on site, but three others drowned. The body of one was recovered the same day, but it took several days to find the other two.
The sea was rough on Saturday, due to bad weather. The management of the public beach claims to have tried to dissuade the youngsters from entering the water.
Drownings are not uncommon at this time of year. Last Friday, the lifeless body of a man was recovered from the sea off the coast of Sour in South Lebanon, while five others were saved from drowning near Jbeil. Similarly, the lifeless body of a man was found on Monday afternoon at Raouche beach in Beirut, according to the Civil Defense. His identity has not been released.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.