Egyptian authorities have arrested nine human traffickers in Beheira governorate, near the place where a boat capsized last week, drowning more than 200 migrants, Egypt's Ahram Online reported Wednesday (September 28th).
The men were arrested on Tuesday in the towns of Rosetta and Edko and are being questioned by prosecutors.
Egyptian officials say 202 people have been confirmed dead following the September 21st incident, while rescue workers and fishermen said they had rescued at least 169 people.
The International Organisation for Migration said Tuesday it believed at least 450 people, including Egyptian, Sudanese, Eritrean and Somali migrants were aboard the ship and that about 300 perished in total.
Four members of the boat's crew have been arrested.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held an urgent meeting on Saturday to discuss the possibility of issuing a unified law aimed at toughening penalties for those involved in human trafficking and illegal migration operations.
In an urgent meeting on Tuesday night, three parliamentary committees approved legislation aimed at stemming the tide of illegal migration.
A draft bill on illegal migration that was sent to parliament in June is expected to be discussed next week, lawmakers said, stressing that it is not designed to impose penalties on the migrants themselves.
