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A BOAT CARRYING up to 450 migrants capsized in the Mediterranean off Egypt’s north coast today, drowning 42 people and prompting a search operation that rescued 163 passengers, officials said.
The vessel overturned off the port city of Rosetta, police and health officials said.
Five survivors, handcuffed to beds in a Rosetta hospital room, told AFP up to 450 people were on board.
“The boat sunk. My three children died,” said Badr Abdel Hamid, 28, before breaking into tears.
“We were 450 people on board. We left at 2.00 am. An hour an half later, it capsized. Whoever knew how to swim, swam. We even abandoned the women and children,” said Ahmed Mohamed, 27.
The boat sank some 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from the coast and the victims included one child, 10 women and 31 young men, a municipal official in the Mediterranean city told AFP.
the boat sank some 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from the coast and the victims included one child, 10 women and 31 young men.
They were Egyptians, Eritreans, Sudanese and Syrians, said the official, Ali Abdel Sattar.
The tragedy comes months after the EU’s border agency Frontex warned that growing numbers of migrants bound for Europe were turning to Egypt as a departure point for the perilous sea journey.
Smugglers often overload the boats, some of them scarcely seaworthy, with passengers who have paid for the journey.
Egypt’s Prime Minister Sharif Ismail ordered police to arrest the smugglers responsible, a cabinet statement said.
The military said in a statement that 163 passengers had been rescued so far, adding that they had stopped another boat elsewhere on the Mediterranean coast carrying 294 migrants.
With the search operating ongoing for an unknown number of people, health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed told AFP that hospitals were being prepared to receive more casualties.
‘Egypt becoming departure country’
More than 10,000 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean for Europe since 2014, according to the United Nations.
Asylum-seekers have been seeking other ways to reach Europe since March, when Balkan countries closed the popular overland route and the EU agreed a deal with Turkey to halt departures.
“Egypt is starting to become a departure country,” Frontex chief Fabrice Leggeri said in an interview with the Funke group of German regional newspapers in June.
The number of boat crossings from Egypt to Italy has reached 1,000 (so far) this year.
More than 300,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean so far this year from various points of departure, the UN said this week.
The number is down from 520,000 in the first nine months of 2015.
Despite the lower numbers attempting the dangerous sea crossing, fatality rates had risen, with 2016 on track to be “the deadliest year on record in the Mediterranean Sea,” said the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
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They might as well just start picking them up at the docks and save the hassle.
thats outside the box thinking right there
Minister of correct use of Navy Ships: comment please
A pick up service not a rescue …
All the migrants have to do is make it 40 miles off Tripoli and wait for EU boats to pick them up. This crazy policy means the numbers trying it is only going to increase!
let them eat cake
Absolutely no way should this boat be there.
Where should it be?
Patrolling the Irish coast for a start
keeping an eye out for long john silver
Why are the Eurocrats hell-bent on letting these migrants enter Europe?
To outbreed the native white Christian male.
to liven up their domestic football leagues?
there’s a few incentives and to regain on billions spent on war heads. hell-bent for cheap labour (they’ll take a chance), horny young male migrants who know no better but to breed rapidly with several encounters so that’s a plus for an ageing demographic in europe (or so they tell you, like as if we ourselves have stopped having babies :/ ) controlling population movements, almost like farming crops this is no. place a few there, see what grows, move to another field/country next spring. its a big complex experiment, they get their land, resources after the invasions but… they also get thats right… human resources. interesting to note what kind of seeds they took back to syria to sow in the soil. dig deep, multinational seeds from a bank. not the natural kind either. tried in tested in africa.
if one was to think or find that germany (and whoever is in on it) took all the apparent doctors, scientists etc and sectioned the rest for other countries, those with NO skills, doesn’t this remind you of something from the past? I guess merkel and co. could argue then, “well we ask them here first so we’re entitled to have the pick of the crop”. thats what its like, a harvest of people.
Like Sweden did with Ibrahimovic? That worked out so well NOT
At least they’re calling them migrants today…..does that mean they can be sent back?
No it doesn’t. :) Get used to it.
Cut the dole by 50% as the first measure to pay for this.
Dole?…..so, you want to hurt PAYE workers who are temporarily out of work and have stamps clocked up…to pay to send migrants back to where they came from after they entered the EU illegally…..are you doing drugs?
“Rescued”? I would suggest free taxi service. Rescuing has nothing to do with this farce.
the controlled media likes to antagonise with this stuff, especially here. 108 rescued is not really news but just to prod the readers for response we’ll stick it up. another sick kick they get is watching the natives react, cope and put up with the millions brought in. you can bet the elite won’t have to, so it’s ok for them. don’t step out of line now or we’ll have to punish you and shame you with racist accusations, but they’re ok, they’re not used to this culture, we need them to antagonise you while we reap the profits and call you names.
Paudi — Do you need some Sudo Cream for the butt hurt?
@ margie Another comment from a dirt bag.
True Prouesse… as low as they come.
I’d be wary of even going on a banana boat in the Mediterranean at this stage, going by the rate they’re picking up people.
Thanks lads. Allahu Akbar and all that.
It’s a disgraceful waste of Irish taxpayer money which is greatly needed here at home.
Patrick — You are a disgraceful waste of oxygen.
@PetrTarasov . Petr with an attitude like yours your a waste of space .
*you’re
His name isn’t Petr Tarasov. His name is Liam Egan. From Wexford. He posts under numerous names. Google him, and all will become clear :-)
Really this is the guy Petr who last week accused me of being Liam Egan from Wexford .
Some clever clogs has cornered the north African market for oversized rubber inflatable boats…..
And for satellite phones to ring the Italian coastguard…..
Though these lads are only doing their job, I don’t think they’ll be returning home to a hero’s welcome
They should question their superiors. I wouldn’t engage in unethical behavior as part of my job just becaue I was receiving money for it and was told to by someone who supposedly knows best.
Unethical? Rescueing people is ethical?
Rescuing people is for the RNLI not our naval forces. They are operating a glorified ferry service and the taxpayer is picking up the tab. The navy is supposed to defend us and bring these illegal aliens into Europe is endangering us.
Ferrying unknown muslims to Europe is surely very unethical
When their contracts expire and they are civilians again some of these crews will speak forthrightly about their Med ferry service…
disagreeing with something (even with good reason) doesn’t make it unethical
They should be shipped back to where they came from. Europe is full
Yea America should have sent the coffin shps back during the famine as there was lots of food here…
1. They won’t be ‘shipped’ back.
2. Europe isn’t full.
3. You are powerless to stop this.
4. Let 3 sink in.
:)
@Petrtarasov Thats right Petr wants to fill europe full of his muslim brothers . No thanks
Petr is Liam Egan…..a Muslim convert who hates the people and country with whom he grew up.
” No thanks”
Well, it’s happening, so tough.
Pull it out. FFS millions of Euro of Irish tax payers money wasted on a taxi service for economic migrants. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a social welfare officer on board giving them PPS numbers,Dole and medical cards. I hope they have translators on board too they will need help filling out the rent allowance forms.
We are all paying for this and for those EU debit cards. We are sending bank cards outside EU jurisdiction. It’s basically welfare money spent outside the EU meaning it’s gone its not being returned to the state through taxes on the purchase of goods and services. Its quite possibly going to go towards funding ISIS. But that’s what the US and EU want they need a bigger and more powerful ISIS to pass stricter laws and take away more of our rights.
oh they need isis for as long as they can milk this, the us and saudi are enjoying themselves. theres more to this than meets the eye.
There’s also a free eu debit card for every “passenger”
oh wnen is this farcical stupidity to stop, and of course the usual media hype that goes with it – for sure the journal must think we are all fools and swollow any old line. . .
Our countries involvement in th economic migrant crisis should and must be opposed
Taxi
Great more men of fighting age entering Europe. That’s what we need.
Irish Mediterranean Ferries are at it again.Great
Experience work by the Irish Navy.
The emigrants will just be stuck in Italy France Germany and Britain won’t take then We have no plans to take any
Their own hope is to get on a Ryanair flight to Dublin from Sicily with a false passport and then ask for asylum
John — You really know jack sh¦t about this. There are several routes still open.
Wow incredibly vindictive racist comments on this topic.
A life is a life, worth saving FFS
Don’t worry, most terrorists in France are home grown, or cultured in Belgium.
Short, short memories you lot
Absolutely. As I said earlier, the milk of human kindness has gone sour for this lot.
@Deirdremacmahon . Why dont you come down off your high horse and dont be a key board warrior . If your so concerned about these people get yourself to Libya . And on the way out there you could help the poor homeless people of Ireland first . All of africa cant come to Europe for help
have your say