Egypt arrest four over migrant boat disaster which killed more than 40

Judicial and security officials said the four people detained over the tragedy were accused of involuntary manslaughter and human trafficking. One of them is the owner of the vessel.

Alaa Osman, a local official from Beheira province, said bodies were still being pulled out from the water and added that around 150 people have been rescued so far. In June, a boat capsized near Sicily, drowning at least 169 migrants.

“I am not going to leave until I see Mohamed”, Ratiba Ghonim told Reuters, as she mourned her 16-year-old brother. The agreement has been fraught with delays, however, and most of the people in island camps have applied for asylum in Greece, launching a lengthy process during which they can not be deported.

“Europe should support Egypt and other Middle Eastern states to limit the influx of illegal immigrants who would cause trouble in European states”, he said.

Egypt’s Prime Minister Sharif Ismail ordered police to arrest the smugglers responsible, a cabinet statement said.

The European Union launched “Operation Sophia” past year to destroy smuggler boats that could be used to ferry migrants across the sea. “Seven people were on board”. If the highest number is confirmed, then the incident will go down as one of the deadliest tragedies to take place on the migrant route across the Mediterranean. “This is a disaster”.

“We ran to tell the coast guard that the boat was sinking and the people were dying”. Some people were trapped below deck with nearly no chance of escape, and many women and children were among the dead, survivors said.

The Egyptian military has regularly announced efforts to combat illegal immigration.

On Tuesday, the military arrested 68 people in the same area off the coast of Matrouh on a boat headed for Europe.

Khidir said that the Sudanese consulate in Alexandria continues to search for missing Sudanese in coordination with the Beheira commissioner and the Sudanese embassy in Cairo.

Last week, the country’s navy thwarted two attempts by people trying to cross from Egypt to Europe. Right-wing nationalist parties opposed to taking in more migrants and refugees have made gains, including in Germany, which has accepted more migrants than any other European country.

Many migrants have been leaving African countries in large numbers and are heading for Europe, often in overcrowded and poorly constructed boats, making the journey a unsafe one.