Nabih Berri chairs a parliamentary session in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. File photo/Reuters

Lebanon is like a sinking ship that will go under unless action is taken, Nabih Berri, the speaker of parliament was quoted as saying on Monday, referring to the country's deep economic and political crisis.

“The country is like a ship that is sinking little by little,” al-Joumhuria newspaper cited him as telling visitors. “If we don't take the necessary steps, it will sink entirely.”

An-Nahar newspaper quoted him as likening the situation of the Lebanese people to that of passengers on the Titanic, the cruise ship that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg.

Reuters