Egypt picks up sunken migrant boat, death toll rises to 195
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E-mail Xinhua, September 27, 2016
Egypt picked up the recently sunken migrant boat on Tuesday with extra 26 bodies found inside to raise the death toll to 195 so far, state-run Al-Ahram official news website reported.
The vessel capsized last week off Egypt's northern coast of Rosetta city of Beheira province, carrying hundreds of passengers, mostly Egyptians, seeking to illegally migrate to Italy.
Some 164 passengers have been rescued from the tragic vessel, according to official MENA news agency.
Illegal migration via Egyptian Mediterranean Sea shores rose over the past few years in attempts to reach Europe and flee difficult economic conditions in the financially-struggling Arab country, where unemployment rate hit 12.5 percent, according to official reports.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi urged in a recent speech "both the state and the society" for joining efforts to face the phenomenon of illegal migration.
"Why do you leave your country? Is there no work in Egypt? I assure you there are job opportunities here," said the Egyptian president in his speech addressing the youth who seek migration to Europe through illegal means.
In a previous meeting with a minor security committee including the prime minister, the interior minister and the general intelligence chief, Sisi ordered tougher security measures and deterrent punishments against smugglers to limit illegal migration.
An anti-illegal-migration bill had already been presented by the government to the parliament for soon approval.
On Monday, the Egyptian authorities arrested the boat owner as they arrested some members of the capsized boat crew last week over human trafficking charges.
Experts believe that Egypt has become a more common exporter of illegal migration through its Mediterranean Sea shores to Europe after Libya and Turkey lost their importance for smugglers in favor of the most populous Arab country due to security and other reasons.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a report in June that more than 10,000 people have died in attempts to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe since 2014.
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