A boat that departed from Lebanon with at least 23 passengers, primarily Syrian migrants, sank earlier this week while attempting to reach the nearby island of Cyprus.

On Monday, the Cypriot daily AlphaNewsLive reported that local authorities had been alerted to the "disappearance of a boat off the Cypriot coast, 45 kilometers from Cape Greco, at the southeastern tip of the island." The vessel, carrying 23 Syrian migrants, had "departed from Lebanon" and "reportedly lost contact at some point," the outlet added. It also reported that a "search and rescue plan was immediately implemented by the Cypriot rescue coordination center, while Lebanese authorities were informed."

Search efforts are also underway from the Syrian side. "Syrian naval forces and helicopters continue to search 32 kilometers off Syria's coast to try to locate those missing following the shipwreck of the boat that was carrying Syrians from Lebanon to Cyprus," said Mohammad Sablouh, a migrants' rights advocate, in comments to L'Orient-Le Jour. Several Syrian media outlets reported the same on Tuesday.

Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the NGO Alarm Phone, which assists migrants in distress in the Mediterranean, did not provide additional details.

Located less than 200 kilometers from the Syrian and Lebanese coasts, Cyprus is a key migratory route to Europe. The island claims to have the highest number of asylum seekers per capita in the European Union. In February, the Cypriot Interior Ministry reported a 69 percent drop in asylum requests between 2022 and 2024, along with a halt to irregular maritime arrivals since May 2024, supported by stricter migration policies.

In September, Human Rights Watch accused Cypriot authorities of "sending back to Lebanon Syrians whose boats had reached Cyprus, regardless of their refugee status."