Egypt holds 4 suspected traffickers over boat deaths

Egyptian prosecutors remanded four men in custody on Thursday (September 22nd) on suspicion of human trafficking after a deadly migrant boat capsize, AFP reported.

The four are accused of involuntary manslaughter and human trafficking, judicial and security officials said.

At least 42 bodies have been recovered from the sea after the disaster off the Egyptian coast on Wednesday, but the toll is expected to rise. Rescue teams saved 163 of those on board.

A municipal official in Rosetta told AFP that Wednesday's victims included one child, 10 women and 31 young men.

Rescuers said search operations would focus on the boat's cold storage room where witnesses said around 100 people sought refuge as the vessel flipped over.

"The death toll is going to rise," a medical source said. "On the boat there is a hold used to store fish. It has not been opened and there must be a lot of people inside."

Do you like this article?

0 Comment(s)

Comment Policy * Denotes Required Field 1500 / 1500