Syrians appeal to Cypriot authorities to reveal fate of their children
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – On Tuesday, parents from Deir ez-Zor Governorate in eastern Syria, whose children went missing in Cyprus’ territorial waters, appealed to the Cypriot government to disclose the fate of their loved ones.
Last week, a boat carrying 60 people who were seeking migration to Europe departed from the Lebanese shores and went missing after entering Cypriot territorial waters.
On January 21, Turkish authorities discovered six bodies believed to be Syrians who had attempted to migrate from Lebanon to Cyprus but lost contact during the journey.
Relatives of the missing individuals stated that their loved ones, before boarding the boat, said the boat could only accommodate up to 35 people, yet smugglers loaded it with 60 individuals.
According to a relative of a missing person, 20 people from the village of Shinan, eastern Deir ez-Zor, were among the missing individuals.
They appealed to Cypriot authorities to reveal the fate of their children, expressing suspicion that their children might have been arrested and had their communication devices confiscated by the Cypriot coast guards, particularly since the boat was equipped with GPS.
A relative of another missing person told North Press that “if they had drowned, we would have heard news about them.”