Egyptian authorities arrest four people in connection with the death of at least 42 migrants whose Europe-bound boat capsized off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast yesterday.
Officials say the four were members of the vessel’s crew and were remanded in police custody for four days pending further investigation. They face charges of human trafficking and manslaughter.
Authorities also issue arrest warrants for five more people wanted in connection with the tragedy, according to the officials. The Egyptian military says the boat was 12 nautical miles off the coast near the town of Rosetta when it capsized.
Young Egyptians detained at a police station sleep on the floor in Rosetta, Egypt, after rescued from a boat capsized off the Mediterranean coast near the Egyptian city of Alexandria, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Eman Helal)
More than 24 hours after the incident, uncertainty endures over the exact number of migrants who were on board the vessel before it capsized, with estimates ranging between 250, 400 and 600.
Egypt’s official news agency MENA says the boat was carrying 600 people, and if this number is confirmed, the incident will go down as one of the deadliest tragedies to take place on the migrant route across the Mediterranean. Survivors say most of those who died were women and children.
— AP
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