22 dead after ferryboat sinks in Egypt’s Nile

CAIRO

At least 22 people drowned when a ferryboat sank in Egypt’s Nile River late Wednesday, a medical source said.

“The ferryboat sank after it collided with a barge,” the source told Anadolu Agency. “Search is still ongoing for six more missing passengers.”

According to the source, 22 bodies have been recovered from water, while five others have been rescued.

Egypt Health Ministry, however, said that 14 people had so far died in the accident.

The boat was hired by a couple celebrating their engagement and was sailing north of Cairo when the accident happened, according to eyewitnesses.

The Interior Ministry said that the captain of the barge, which caused the accident, and his assistant had been arrested.

In 2006, more than 1,000 people were killed when a ferry sank in the Red Sea, one of Egypt’s deadliest accidents.