Egypt ended a search on Saturday for victims of a collision of two Nile ferries without finding any bodies despite initial fears that dozens were missing, a regional official said.
The two craft hit each other near Rashid City in the Beheira governorate in northern Egypt on Friday. Initial reports suggested several dozen passengers and crew may have been missing as the exact number of people on board the vessels was unclear.
“Rescue units ended the search after they searched an area of 2km in the Nile, where no bodies were found,” Beheira Governor Mohamed Sharawy said.
Sharawy also said no statements for missing people were filed since the accident, suggesting all the passengers had now been accounted for.
“There is no indication that someone has died in this accident,” Sharawy said.
Public river ferries in Egypt can sometimes be crowded and total numbers being carried are not always recorded, making an accurate count difficult.
One of the ferries was a passenger ferry that broke apart during the accident, while the other, carrying both passengers and cars, overturned causing no injuries or fatalities.
Sharawy said six of those injured had been transferred to hospital and his governorate would pay each injured victim 2,000 Egyptian pounds (US$366) compensation.
The prosecution in Alexandria ordered the detention of the two ferry drivers and the owners, the official MENA news agency reported. It said they faced charges including causing injury by mistake and failure to follow regulations.
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