Egypt’s Interior ministry says at least 15 civilians have drowned when a passenger boat travelling down the Nile near Cairo collided with a scow, causing the boat to capsize.
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Five people were rescued from the water, but at least two children were killed, according to AFP.
Security sources said the search for them had been hampered by the darkness. Two children were reportedly among the dead.
The captain of the cargo boat and his deputy were arrested after the accident north of the capital, Cairo, police sources said.
Family and friends of the young couple had hired the boat to celebrate their engagement. The boat was carrying at least 30 passengers, said Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the spokesman of the Egyptian health ministry.
Traffic had been heavy along the Nile, where many Egyptians had been celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
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More than 25 people were on board the river ferry when the accident occurred on Wednesday (local time).
