Many missing off Lebanon coast

Rescuers are searching for survivors after a ship with 83 people on board sank off the northern Lebanese coast during stormy weather. The Panamanian-flagged Danny II capsized 11 miles (20km) off Tripoli after sending a distress signal. At least 19 survivors from the vessel – transporting livestock from Uruguay to the Syrian port of Tartous – have been picked up, officials said. Lebanon is currently experiencing severe thunderstorms and flooding. Ships from the Lebanese navy and the UN peacekeeping force for Lebanon (Unifil) are conducting the search, along with a Lebanese civilian vessel. “Three maritime task force ships – one Italian and two German – were dispatched about 10 nautical miles off the coast of Tripoli after the Lebanese navy received a distress call from a Panamanian-flagged ship,” Unifil spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP news agency. “Preliminary information indicates the ship sank with 83 people aboard.” Reports from Tripoli said ambulances had been seen rushing out of the port area to nearby hospitals. The cargo ship issued a distress call on Thursday afternoon, but had sunk before a Lebanese navy ship reached the area, a Lebanese army officer said. The ship’s crew are mostly from the Philippines and Pakistan but there is at least one Lebanese and one Syrian on board, a port official told AFP.

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Many missing off Lebanon coast