Death toll in Egypt boat capsize rises to 31

With the recovery of 13 more bodies from a sunken ferry in the Nile River in Egypt, the overall death toll in the tragedy on Friday rose to 31, the government said.

Following the collision between the ferry and a cargo boat on Wednesday night, the passenger boat sustained damage, causing it to sink in the river. Thirteen more bodies have been recovered taking the overall death toll to 31, <g data-gr-id="17">Al Ahram</g> reported.

Authorities put the figure at 21 yesterday, while the health ministry’s official toll stood at 18, according to ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar. But the ministry said that 13 more bodies had been retrieved from the river as the search for the victims continued for a third day.

A provincial prosecutor told Al-Ahram Arabic that 35 passengers were estimated to have been on board a chartered boat when it collided with a cargo ship near Al-Warraq district in Giza, causing it to capsize. The interior ministry said six of the passengers had been rescued.

Locals angered by the deaths and families of those still missing blocked off a main road in the area where the boat sank and chanted anti-government slogans.