The Algerian authorities found the bodies of 12 Syrians and two Algerians in the desert near the border with Libya, after they had illegally entered the country in the hope of later immigrating to European countries.
The non-governmental Relief Search and Rescue Association in the Algerian city of Tamanrasset revealed the details of the incident after publishing a list of names and data of the victims, saying that a four-wheel-drive vehicle was found in the Hassi-Belfour area last Friday, with a number of bodies next to it, after it was reported missing last Tuesday, pointing out that the main cause of death was loss and thirst under harsh weather conditions.
The organization said that it had identified the victims as two Algerians and 12 Syrians, including a 10-year-old and a 16-year-old boys, saying that among them were people born in 2003, 2006 and 2008, adding that the Syrian victims were recovered from the area, which is about 70 kilometers from Burj Omar Idris, which is near Libya. Details of the victims’ data indicated that all of them were males.
The Syrian embassy assigned Bassam Farroukh, a human rights activist, member of the International Organization for Human Rights, and member of the Syrian community in Algeria, to follow up on the procedures. He explained that the victims set off from Libya last Tuesday toward Algeria, but the driver lost his way, and they were found on Saturday after they got lost in the Sahara Desert.
According to Farroukh, the number of Syrians on the trip was 17 people, so the search is still underway for five missing people who are believed to have also died, noting that the bodies of the victims are in Burj Omar Idriss Hospital (1,300 km southeast of Algiers), adding that the Syrian embassy in Algiers informed the families of the deceased and said that it was ready to facilitate the transportation of the bodies if they decided to bury them in Syria.
