Egypt recovers 17 bodies of irregular migrants

Egyptian authorities recovered the bodies of 17 irregular migrants washed ashore on the beaches of western Egypt, local media reported on Saturday.

The Public Prosecution in Matrouh Governorate in western Egypt began its second examination to identify the bodies on Saturday. The bodies were found inside a migrant boat that washed ashore on Thursday near the city of Sidi Barrani, Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported.

An initial examination on Friday revealed that seven of the victims were young Egyptian men, according to the same source.

The state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported that residents of a village in Sidi Barrani found a rubber boat washed ashore on Thursday, containing the decomposing bodies of 12 young men and teenagers.

"Search operations intensified and the area was combed; five more bodies were found, bringing the toll to 17," Al-Ahram reported.

Initial investigations indicated that the boat had departed from the Libyan coast, specifically from areas in eastern Libya known for human trafficking networks, and was carrying migrants of various African and Asian nationalities, it added.

Since the sinking of a boat carrying hundreds of migrants off the coast of Rosetta in September 2016, which claimed the lives of approximately 200 people, Egyptian authorities have announced on several occasions that they have tightened security along their coastlines.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asserts that his country has not allowed any irregular migration boats to depart for Europe via Egyptian waters since late 2016.

With tightened Egyptian controls, the Libyan coast has become a major departure point for irregular migrants heading to Europe, particularly from African and Middle Eastern countries, amid ongoing economic crises and armed conflicts.

*Writing by Rasa Evrensel in Istanbul