A full month has passed since the sinking of the "death boat" off the coast of Tripoli, with no signs indicating the possibility of recovering the missing persons from the submerged vessel, nor any progress in the investigations to identify responsibilities. The military judiciary is unwilling to go far while awaiting the salvage of the boat, and the Lebanese Army cannot advocate for its narrative in court. Meanwhile, the families of the victims and the missing are not likely to wait much longer to know who is responsible for the tragedy, threatening to escalate their actions.
There are no official final counts for the missing persons at sea (estimated to be 33), while the number of deceased has reached ten, alongside 45 survivors. While numbers become mere details, the mystery surrounding the case remains a source of skepticism that could obscure the truth. The only solid conclusion so far is that there are "wave riders" who planned to escape "hell," and "benefit riders" who, as traders, exploit the latter's plight for enrichment.
Thus, the days pass and matters remain suspended "pending investigation," which sources familiar with the situation state is waiting for the boat’s salvage operation to initiate summonses for all suspects and witnesses to hear them about the causes of the boat’s sinking. The fundamental issue related to the preparations for the "final fateful journey" remains neglected, allowing some suspected of involvement in it to turn into activists in "human rights" or political activists who have recently appeared as machines for political and electoral propaganda.
So far, surrounding countries have not responded to formal Lebanese requests for assistance in salvaging the sunken vessel, which has been located near the Palm Islands in the waters of Tripoli, with the exception of a British company that expressed its willingness to work for two million US dollars. According to private information, there is a difficulty in securing the requested amount. Consequently, the boat rests at a depth varying between 450 and 480 meters, needing special techniques for its recovery. Elected MP Ashraf Rifi misled the families of the victims before the elections by claiming he could help by providing high-tech underwater cameras capable of detecting the likely sinking site, prompting the trip organizer R. Dandashi to announce that he would vote for Rifi.
In contrast, local civil organizations have offered to help within their means, but this is difficult for the army, which fears causing damage to the wrecked boat if necessary technical/protective procedures are not followed during the salvage, meaning the potential loss of evidence it relies on to prove its innocence from the accusation of colliding with the boat to sink it. The military institution fears the likelihood of being accused of intentionally tampering with evidence to mislead the investigation if any harm befalls the boat during its salvage.
For the families, there is no concern for this entire legal/technical "discussion," and there is no comfort in watching a series of blame-shifting by everyone, which unfortunately occurs under the watchful eyes of the judiciary, which hesitates to take any action until the bodies are recovered, throwing the reasons for the delay onto the state, which it claims is incapable of securing the necessary funds. The latter places the responsibility on the army required by it to provide "logistics" from an empty budget. The atmosphere reflects on the ground procedures. Thus far, the number of those summoned for investigation into the sinking incident has been limited to the boat's captain A. J (of Syrian nationality), who went unnoticed as the weakest link. In the aftermath of the tragedy, he was questioned by the military judiciary before being left "pending investigation."
As for the military personnel whose leadership has shown readiness to surrender them to the judiciary to be questioned, they still maintain their position, although the latter is clearly procrastinating in summoning them for the same excuse: "the boat has not been salvaged," which also applies to the civilian suspects accused of preparing for the journey, mainly including A. Dandashi and his brother R. Dandashi, who recently appeared as activists in MP Ashraf Rifi's electoral campaign, prompting rights and legal advocates to express their belief that the investigation is "frozen."
Investigation sources inform "Al-Akhbar" that the nominal lists of those to be summoned are "ready," but it is unable to start the execution for several reasons. The first reason is technical, relating to the circumstances of not having salvaged the boat yet, as it is needed to complete the elements of the investigation and conclude the file in preparation for referral and moving to the second step. The second reason is humanitarian; it is not principled to summon witnesses from the families, or civilians responsible for the trip preparations, while their relatives are still under the water. In this regard, it is no secret that threats were sent from this category some time ago through officials and religious figures, warning that they would retaliate against any judicial summons if it took precedence over the issue of retrieving their children, which is a reason for the judiciary to hesitate further to avoid transferring the file to a conflict situation that could undermine it.
On the other hand, the "death merchants" are enjoying their most prosperous days, which contributes to bolstering their illegal trade. Sources linked to the families of the victims did not deny in a conversation with "Al-Akhbar" their intention to escalate until the missing are recovered and the perpetrators held accountable "regardless of who they are." It appears that the committees formed to follow up on the case are determined to confront negligence through escalating street actions. There is a heated discussion about the practicality of turning every Friday into a day of protest in Tripoli, prompting military and security forces to remain on alert.
