Egypt migrant boat death toll rises
The number dead in a migrant boat disaster off Egypt’s coast climbed to 148 on Friday as rescuers recovered more bodies from the Mediterranean, The Guardian reports.
According to the source, survivors have said up to 450 migrants were on board the fishing vessel that was heading to Italy from Egypt when it keeled over off the port of Rosetta on Wednesday. The military said it had rescued 163 survivors.
Rescuers had said search operations would focus on the boat’s hold, where witnesses said about 100 people had been when the vessel capsized.
Authorities have arrested four suspected people traffickers over the sinking, the latest in what the UN refugee agency expects to be the deadliest year on record for the Mediterranean. The International Organisation for Migration said those rescued included 111 Egyptians, 26 Sudanese, 13 Eritreans, a Syrian and an Ethiopian.