Prosecutors on Wednesday released 23 young men caught attempting to illegally sail to Italy from the coastal city of Rosetta.
A day earlier, the Egyptian Coastguard intercepted two boats carrying illegal migrants. A number of them jumped into the water to escape arrest, resulting in the death by drowning of three of them.
Prosecutors also released 35 others suspected of involvement in the incident.
The would-be migrants admitted that they had each agreed to pay boatmen LE10,000–with another LE50,000 upon arrival–to take them to Italy.
In Sharqiya, thousands of people attended funerals of two of the three young men who drowned in the incident.
Police are currently looking for two men wanted for organizing illegal migration to European countries by sea.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
