While the world leaders are gathering at the United Nations headquarters in NY to seek solutions for refugee and immigration problems, news splashed on an immigration boat carrying about 600 people which capsized off Egypt’s northern coast Wednesday killing at least 51.
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“The death toll from the illegal migrant boat that capsized off the coast of Rosetta. has reached 133”, the health ministry said in a statement.
Frontex, an European Union agency for the management of operational cooperation at the external borders, said in June that crossing from Egypt to Italy was becoming increasingly popular.
Fishermen said they had difficulty collecting the badly decomposed bodies.
It is not clear where the planned final destination was, although officials said the boat was probably heading for Italy. “They are just kids who wanted to work”.
Judicial and security officials said the four people detained over the tragedy were accused of involuntary manslaughter and human trafficking.
One survivor Ahmed Darwish said that there were more than 500 people on board the boat when it sank.
No more survivors were reported Saturday.
“There were 200 of us and the boat was already full, 200 more then arrived”.
The tiny boat was carrying between 450 and 600 migrants, 162 now is dead.
However, migrants seeking refuge in Europe continue to leave Egypt at increasing rates, rising from 4 to 9 percent of arrivals in Italy as of July 2016, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Some of those rescued were taken to hospitals, where they lay handcuffed to beds and under police guard.
Several survivors said refugees had been had been “stored” for several days in chicken farms by the traffickers to evade police, having promised to pay £4,800 per family on their arrival in Italy.
The incident comes months after the head of the EU’s border agency warned that growing numbers of Europe-bound refugees were turning to Egypt as a departure point for the perilous journey. More than a million crossed in all of 2015, but the rate of deaths is far higher this year.
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Despite the danger at sea and increasing hostility towards migrants in Europe, people continue to flee wars, terrorism and crushing poverty in the Middle East and Africa.
