On Monday, the bodies of seven individuals were retrieved from the waters off Cyprus after a migrant boat capsized. This incident prompted a search and rescue operation by local authorities, as reported by Cyprus’ state broadcaster.
According to the broadcaster, while an unknown number of individuals remain missing, two survivors were rescued from international waters approximately 30 nautical miles (55.5 km) southeast of Cyprus.
Reports suggest that the boat, which was found around midday, had departed from Tartous, Syria, with an estimated 20 to 21 passengers on board.
The Cyprus Search and Rescue Coordination Center confirmed that rescue operations were underway in the area but did not provide details on the casualties.
Justice Minister Marios Hartziotis commented during a news briefing, “There is heightened vigilance from the port police, and today’s discovery of the first survivor was purely coincidental.”
The advocacy group Alarmphone reported on March 16 that they received a distress call from relatives on Saturday night, providing the last known coordinates of the boat. Alarmphone confirmed that these coordinates coincided with the site of the shipwreck and had notified Cypriot authorities, who stated they were looking into the matter.
Cyprus, an EU member state, is situated roughly 100 nautical miles west of Lebanon and Syria. Earlier this year, the country had paused processing asylum applications from Syrians due to a significant increase in arrivals by small boats.
