Syria: 43 likely died in ship sinking near Lebanon

The death toll from last week's sinking of a ship off the coast of Lebanon would likely reach 43, Syrian and Lebanese port officials said Wednesday.

Twenty-six people were still missing and presumed dead, while 17 bodies have been found so far, they said.

The Panamanian-flagged cargo ship carrying 83 crew members and thousands of sheep and other livestock capsized on Thursday in stormy waters some 11 miles (17 kilometers) from the Lebanese port city of Tripoli.

Rescuers found 40 survivors in the first hours after the ship sank.

Several of the bodies washed ashore in Syria _ some 50 miles (80 kilometers) from where the ship went down, …