33 Indonesia boat victims identified: NNA

BEIRUT: The bodies of 33 Lebanese who drowned off the Indonesian coast in a tragic boat accident last month have been identified following DNA analysis, the National News Agency reported Thursday.

A boat carrying around 80 migrants trying to illegally cross from Indonesia to Australia foundered off the Indonesian coast last month killing over 30 people. Only 18 survived.

Most of the Lebanese victims hailed from the underdeveloped area of north Lebanon and mainly from the Akkar village of Qabeet.

The NNA identified the bodies of the victims as: Kawthar Mohammad Taleb, Reem Hussein Khodr, Wafaa Hussein Khodr, Ali Hussein Khodr, Ahmad Hussein Khodr, Rawaa Hussein Khodr, Malak Hussein Khodr, Rana Hussein Khodr, Mariam Hussein Khodr, Rayya Mohammad Taleb, Dania Assaad Assaad, Maya Assaad Assaad, Aida Ali Al-Mohammad, Fatima Omar Mahmoud, Wouroud Omar Mahmoud, Talal al-Rai, Nour Talal al-Rai, Karim Talal al-Rai, Mariam Yehya al-Ghemrawi, Sarab Mohammad Abdel Hay, Bassam Osman, Ibtisam Osman, Mohammad Khodr Jadid, Basel Ahmad al-Masri, Mahmoud Khaled Naser, Mohammad al-Hibawi, Manal Ali Hamze, Omar Mohammad Abbas, Abdullah Omar Jawhar, Mustafa Ahmad Abdo, Jamil al-Rai, Khadija Saleh al-Dali and Ali Mamdouh Awad.

The NNA said two Lebanese who were on board of the boat, a man and a child, were still missing.

A search is under way for the remaining two, the state-run agency said, adding that the bodies would be returned to Lebanon as soon as possible.

The 18 survivors from the boat accident have already returned to Lebanon.