Renowned Syrian Novelist Hanna Mina Dies at 94

Hanna Mina. (EPA)
Hanna Mina. (EPA)
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Renowned Syrian Novelist Hanna Mina Dies at 94

Hanna Mina. (EPA)
Hanna Mina. (EPA)

Award-winning Syrian novelist Hanna Mina, known in his war-torn country as the father of the modern novel, died on Tuesday aged 94, state media said.

The prolific author died "after a long battle with illness", state news agency SANA said.

Mina wrote around 40 novels, many inspired by the sea and his coastal hometown of Latakia, where he was born in 1924.

His most famous novel, entitled "The Road and the Storm" in Arabic, was set in French mandate Syria during the Second World War. It was adapted to film in 2012.

He was one of the founders of the Syrian Writers' Association and the Arab Writers' Union in Damascus in the 1950s.

Among other awards, Mina in 2006 received the Naguib Mahfouz Prize for Arabic Literature, named after the late Egyptian novelist and Nobel laureate.

In Syria, the culture ministry each year awards the Hanna Mina Prize for Literature.

On Tuesday, the ministry hailed Mina as "one of the greatest Arab novelists", SANA said.

He leaves behind more than 44 novels, many of which were translated into numerous languages and adapted into movies and Syrian television series.



Indonesian Passenger Ferry Catches Fire at Sea, Killing at Least 5

Indonesia rescue team members sail on dinghies during a search operation for missing passengers, after the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry carrying 65 people sank near the Indonesian island of Bali, in Bali, Indonesia, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
Indonesia rescue team members sail on dinghies during a search operation for missing passengers, after the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry carrying 65 people sank near the Indonesian island of Bali, in Bali, Indonesia, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
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Indonesian Passenger Ferry Catches Fire at Sea, Killing at Least 5

Indonesia rescue team members sail on dinghies during a search operation for missing passengers, after the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry carrying 65 people sank near the Indonesian island of Bali, in Bali, Indonesia, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
Indonesia rescue team members sail on dinghies during a search operation for missing passengers, after the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry carrying 65 people sank near the Indonesian island of Bali, in Bali, Indonesia, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo

A passenger ferry carrying hundreds of people caught fire at sea on Sunday off Sulawesi island in Indonesia, killing at least five people, officials said. More than 280 people were rescued and evacuation efforts were ongoing.

The KM Barcelona 5 was headed to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, from Talaud, an island district in the province when it caught fire in waters near Talise, said Vice Adm. Denih Hendrata, commander of the Indonesian Fleet Command, The AP news reported.

He said that three navy ships had been deployed, and 284 passengers and crew members had been evacuated so far. The rescue operation included assistance from local fishermen, who saved some survivors wearing life jackets as they were drifting to nearby islands in the choppy waters.

Rescuers retrieved five bodies, including a pregnant woman.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, and no exact figures of passengers and crew members onboard the ferry.

“We are still focusing on evacuation efforts,” Hendrata said, adding that the cause of the fire was being investigated.

Photos and videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed terrified passengers, mostly wearing life jackets, jumping into the sea. Orange flames and black smoke billowed from the burning vessel.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common method of travel. Disasters occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.

Residents of Mentawai Islands found several people stranded on July 14 after a speedboat carrying 18 people capsized during a storm the day before, authorities said. All were in good condition.

A ferry sank near Indonesia’s resort island of Bali early this month, leaving at least 19 dead and 16 others missing. A two-week search operation involved more than 1,000 rescuers, three navy ships, 15 boats, a helicopter and divers.