Hundreds Feared Dead After a Boat Carrying Migrants Capsizes Near Egypt

Egyptian authorities have arrested four people in connection with the death of at least 43 refugees whose Europe-bound boat capsized off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.

The army gave the updated toll in a statement, saying it had “thwarted an illegal immigration attempt” and the boat had been almost 14 miles off the coast when it sank, the Associated Press reported.

Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said all resources possible would be directed into the rescue mission and that those responsible had to be brought to justice.

The Head of the Italian Intelligence Department and Homeland Security Mario Parenti confirmed in August that the number of illegal immigrants arriving from Egypt has increased significantly, and said that there has been a sharp increase of 104% in the number of migrants who set off from the Egyptian coast.

Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said that the total number of dead was still unknown. Local official Alaa Osman from Beheira province said the migrants were from several African countries; mainly Egypt and Syria.

Thousands of illegal immigrants cross the Mediterranean Sea every year, and Egypt has become a popular destination to begin the journey.

More than 300,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean so far this year from various points of departure, the United Nations said this week.

More than 12,000 migrants arrived in Italy from Egypt between January and September, compared to 7,000 in the same period a year ago, it claimed.

The boat is said to have capsized after a final group of some 150 people were crammed on board.

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 risky one. Among the dead and missing are Egyptian, Sudanese, Eritrean and Somali nationals.

Rescuers are focusing their efforts on the boat’s cold storage room, where it is believed around 100 people took refuge during the capsize.

Some experts assume that up to 10,000 migrants may die till the end of the year on their journey to Europe.

“Events like this highlight the importance of rescue operations as part of the response to the movement of refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean and the need for real, safer alternatives for people needing global protection”.

Traffickers often use barely seaworthy vessels and overload them to extract the maximum money in fares for the crossing from desperate migrants. But numerous thousands registered each month travel further onwards toward Europe’s richer north, in hopes of settling there.

Authorities say Egyptians in police custody will soon be released but foreign nationals will be held for a few days for questioning as to how they entered the country.

One survivor, Ahmed Darwish, blamed traffickers for the tragedy, saying overcrowding caused the boat to capsize, and accused authorities of not reacting quickly enough.