ALBAWABA- Fourteen people, including 12 Syrian migrants, have been found dead in Algeria's southern desert province of Illizi. An official from the Syrian embassy in Algeria reported that five others remain missing, and search efforts are ongoing.
The Search and Rescue Association, an NGO specializing in rescuing people lost in the Algerian desert, discovered the bodies. The dead were identified as two Algerians and 12 Syrians, including a 10-year-old and a 16-year-old.
Bassem Farroukh, head of irregular migration at the Syrian embassy in Algeria, told AFP that the victims had come from Libya on Tuesday and were found dead on Saturday after getting lost in the desert.
Farroukh blamed Libyan authorities, accusing them of expelling the migrants and "pushing them to flee towards Algeria." He warned that more Syrians might similarly leave Libya, potentially leading to more tragedies.
In 2016, 22 Syrians got lost in the Algerian desert after entering from Niger before being rescued by the Algerian army. Many Syrians and other irregular migrants come to North Africa hoping to make the dangerous sea crossing of the Mediterranean to Western Europe.
Syria remains the world's largest displacement crisis, with 13.8 million people forcibly displaced inside and outside the country, according to the UNHCR.
The war, which began in 2011 during the Arab Spring uprisings, has killed more than half a million people and forced millions to flee, causing severe damage to Syria's economy and infrastructure.
