Police in Egypt have discovered the bodies of 15 African asylum seekers in the restive area of northern Sinai Peninsula near Israel, sources say.
The African refugees were apparently shot dead in an attack, security sources said on Sunday, adding that eight others have been injured.
Ambulances were sent to the site of the assault south of the town of Rafah on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
No further details have been so far made available about the perpetrators of the attack or the nationality of the African asylum seekers.
Israel's strict policy towards asylum seekers includes building a fence along the Egyptian border, denying illegal migrants work permits and holding them in a detention center in the desert.
A report by The Washington Post said in May that Israel has spent more than $350 million to build a fence along the entire border with Egypt.
About 2,000 Africans mainly from Eritrea and Sudan are being held at Israeli detention facilities in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
This article has been modified form the source material.
