The Lebanese army announced on Sunday the rescue of more than fifty people, mostly Syrians, after a migrant boat sank off the northern coast of the country.

The army stated in a statement that there was information about "a vessel sinking off the coast of Tripoli (north) while being used for illegal smuggling of people."

The statement added that a patrol from the army's naval forces "managed to rescue 51 people on board, including two Palestinians and 49 Syrians," explaining that "the army worked to provide first aid to them with the help of a team from the Lebanese Red Cross."

Migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees who leave Lebanon by boats seek to get a better life in Europe, often heading to the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, less than 200 kilometers away.