‘Don’t leave me’: Survivor recounts Lebanon boat sinking

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB
Associated Press

BOURJ HAMMOUD, Lebanon (AP) — A Palestinian from Beirut who survived one of the deadliest migrant boat sinkings in recent years has shared a harrowing tale. He said in an interview Tuesday that he is still traumatized after seeing the body of an infant in the water and hearing the screams of children as they drowned. He managed to swim ashore, passed out on a beach and woke up in a hospital. He says he hadn’t considered the dangerous journey until friends who successfully reached Europe persuaded him to give it a try. The boat which sank last week had been packed with 150 Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian migrants. At least 94 people drowned, including 24 children, and the rest are missing.