The journey with the small fishing boat from Lebanon to Cyprus would take 40 hours, the smuggler had said.

There were 50 Lebanese citizens on board, most from the city of Tripoli in the northern part of the country.

"We were scared"

But early on something went wrong.

The boat got lost, and the fuel ran out.

For eight terrifying days they drifted on the sea.

Two children died on board the boat, and ten adult men are missing after they tried to swim to seek help.

Seven of the ten men have been found dead.  

 - We were scared.

My son was hungry and crying and said he wanted to drink water.

He was so thirsty but the water was gone, says Zeinab al-Qak. 

She holds out her cell phone with the last picture of her son, Hamoudi.

The one-year-old and eight-month-old boy smiles as he is lifted to the sky.

The photo was taken on the beach just before the family was to board the boat.  

In the last two weeks, more boats have tried to cross the Mediterranean from Lebanon than in the whole of last year. 

Previously, mainly Syrians traveled this route, now a large proportion are Lebanese.

The explosion and pandemic causes

According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, the economic crisis - exacerbated by the corona pandemic and the great explosion in Beirut - is the cause.

Lebanon and the EU country Cyprus have an agreement to stop the illegal migration between the countries.

So far this year, 266 people have been sent back to Lebanon from Cyprus. 

Zeinab al-Qak says that the family sold their apartment and all the furniture to be able to pay the smuggler's price of approximately SEK 9,000 per person.

Tripoli is Lebanon's second largest city.

The economic crisis in Lebanon has hit the city hard.

The crisis was a fact even before the corona pandemic and has worsened after the great explosion 

Zeinab's husband Nizar Mohamed works at a café but says he has not been able to make any money since the turn of the year. 

 - We did not want to live as rich.

But here I can not afford milk and diapers for my son.

When he was ill, I could not take him to hospital, says Zeinab. 

 - Now I am back in the same suffering, but without my son.