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Five Syrians drown, 23 others missing as boat sinks near Cyprus

DAMASCUS, Sept 29 (KUNA) -- Five Syrian illegal immigrants drowned and 23 other went missing when their boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea en route to Cyprus 10 days ago, a Syrian official said here Monday evening.
Rescue teams found four bodies of the victims on Thursday and the fifth body was found on Sunday, local media quoted Lu'ai Dabei'a, chief of the medical department of Latakia, north Syria, as saying.
The bodies of the five young men were found on the Syrian coasts almost decayed because of the long period they have been in water, he disclosed.
However, he denied any knowledge about the destination of the doomed boat.
The accident is still mysterious as nobody has identified the victims so far, Dabei'a added. (end) om.gb KUNA 300038 Sep 08NNNN