Egyptian authorities arrested the owner and crew members of the migrant boat that capsized in the Mediterranean last week, state-owned Al-Ahram quoted Beheira governor Alaa Shawky as saying. The boat set sail from Egypt’s north coast early on the morning of September 21 and capsized a short while later near Burg Rashid, a village in the Egyptian province of Beheira. Authorities have retrieved the boat wreckage from the sea, in addition to another 33 bodies, bringing the total death toll to 211. While Reuters says the boat was carrying almost 600 migrants, AFP places the number closer to 450. In addition to Syrian migrants, there were migrants from Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea on board. Several of the boat’s passengers remain missing but are believed to be dead. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi vowed to punish those behind the incident, saying the “wrongdoers” would be persecuted for taking advantage of Egyptians and foreigners. President Sisi also instructed his government to take steps to support more small medium enterprises for Egyptian youth in order to provide more opportunities for those seeking to immigrate. Meanwhile, the Egyptian cabinet released a statement saying that Prime Minister Sherif Ismail has…
Egypt Authorities Arrest Owner, Crew of Capsized Migrant Boat as Death Toll Reaches 211
September 28, 2016
