EL-ARISH (EGYPT): An Egyptian fishing boat crashed into a container ship today in the Gulf of Suez, killing 11 fishermen and injuring 11 while 23 men remain missing, officials said.
Egyptian naval vessels and other security and medical teams raced to the shores of the town of Al-Tur, the capital of southern Sinai to aid the fishermen. Three other vessels nearby aided in the search for the missing men, authorities said. Security officials said 45 fishermen were on the boat at the time of the collision. Hospital officials confirmed the casualty figures. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren’t authorised to brief journalists.
Abdul-Rahim Mostafa, spokesman for the Red Sea Ports Authorities identified the container ship involved as a Panama-flagged vessel carrying 220,000 tons of cargo coming from an Italian port. He said authorities ordered the container ship to anchor at the Egyptian Red Sea port in Safaga as an investigation had begun into the cause of the collision. (IANS)
