12 Syrian migrants among 14 dead found in Algerian desert

 Twelve Syrian migrants were among fourteen people found dead in Algeria's southerneastern desert province of Illizi, an official at the Syrian Embassy in Algiers told AFP.  Bassem Farroukh, head of irregular migration at the mission, said search efforts were continuing to find five others still missing.

The migrants, who crossed over from Libya Tuesday, were discovered Saturday after getting lost in the desert. The victims included two Algerians and 12 Syrians, among them a 10-year-old and a 16-year-old. The Search and Rescue Association, an NGO, found the bodies. Farroukh criticized Libyan authorities for expelling the migrants and forcing them into Algeria. He warned of more deaths to come as expulsions from Libya continue. 

Syria is the world’s largest displacement crisis, with over 13.8 million people forcibly uprooted from their homes, according to the UNHCR. More than half a million people have died in the country’s civil war.