Egypt's navy provides help to a group of women among 97 people stopped from illegally migrating off Alexandrian coast (Photo Courtesy of Egypt's Armed Forces on Facebook)
Egypt’s navy foiled on Saturday an attempt at irregular migration by 97 people in a boat off the Alexandrian coast, the state-owned MENA news agency reported.
According to a statement by the Armed Forces, the migrants included Egyptians, Eritreans, Somalis, Sudanese, Syrians, Yemenis, and Chadians.
The migrants were detained and transferred to Ras El-Tin naval base, where they received medical care, according to the statement.
The statement did not include information about the destination of the boat, though it was presumably heading for Europe.
In September 2016, Egypt passed a law to combat irregular migration after a boat sank off the country’s Mediterranean coast, killing hundreds of migrants.
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has spoken on multiple occasions about Egypt's ongoing efforts to curb irregular migration from its shores to Europe – a key concern for European countries facing a growing migrant crisis.
Short link: