At least 42 migrants drowned and more than 400 are feared dead after a boat heading for Italy capsized off Egypt in what could be one of the worst sinkings in the Mediterranean this year. His brother and cousin were on board the boat that capsized.
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A local official said the incident happened off the coast of Kafr al-Sheiklh, about 215 miles north of Cairo, the MENA news agency reported. They’ve continued to aid in the search up and down the coast near the town of Rashid.
Smugglers operating from Egypt often use old fishing boats for the long journey to Italy.
The International Organization for Migration said the boat carried 350 migrants, but cautioned that the figure was an estimate, according to IOM spokesman Joel A. Millman in Rome.
Like most boats used for human trafficking, the ship that sank not far off the Egyptian coast appeared to have been dangerously overloaded, security officials said. “Those … that knew how to swim moved away [from the boat], leaving behind women and small children”, he said.
Mutwali Mohamed watched helplessly as his wife and son slipped under the waves after the crowded migrant boat they boarded capsized off Egypt’s coast on its voyage to Italy.
In addressing the United Nations summit for migrants and refugees, Sisi said Egypt has fought illegal immigration, in part by appealing to youth not to make the risky voyage to Europe.
Rescuers are focusing their efforts on the boat’s cold storage room, where it is believed around 100 people took refuge during the capsize.
Health Ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed said in a televised statement on Wednesday that the ministry can neither track the number of people on the boat nor examine their documents or names since the process was illegal. Hundreds had drowned after a wooden boat from Libya capsized in May previous year.
“Egypt is starting to become a departure country”, Frontex chief Fabrice Leggeri said in an interview with the Funke group of German regional newspapers in June.
The number of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Egypt to Europe has increased significantly in the past year, European Union border agency Frontex said earlier this month. “Within seconds I saw them turn the boat and come like a rocket to save me”, he said.
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An EU official told AFP this month that nearly 300 smuggler boats had been put out of commission in the past year.
