Coastal authorities in Alexandria on Monday thwarted an attempt to help 55 Egyptians travel illegally on board a sailboat bound for Italy.
Security authorities received a report that said a boat was sailing one kilometer away from Abu Qir harbor, security sources told the state-run news agency MENA.
The report said 55 people from Monufiya, Sharqiya, Fayoum, Assiut, Gharbiya and Qalyubiya governorates were on board.
Officials seized the boat and detained the attempted migrants, but the crew escaped, the sources said.
The sources said the detainees told investigators that the smugglers agreed to help them for a fee of LE40,000 per person and that their families were supposed to pay the money after their relatives arrive in Italy.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
