ALBAWABA - A boat transporting day workers sank on the Nile near Egypt's capital, killing at least 10 of the 15 people on board, police said Monday.
The five survivors were taken to a hospital and eventually discharged, according to a statement from the Ministry of Manpower. The cause of the sinking was not immediately identified.
Each family of the deceased will receive 200,000 Egyptian pounds (about $6,466) in compensation, while each of the five injured will receive 20,000 ($646). The workers were on their way to work for a local construction company.
Rescue personnel took hours to find the bodies, according to local media, which broadcast live-stream videos on social media sites of divers searching for the dead while people waited on the Nile's banks.
The incident occurred in the town of Monshat el-Kanater in Giza, one of the three provinces that comprise Greater Cairo. Many Egyptians travel by boat on a daily basis, particularly in Upper Egypt and the Nile Delta.
Sailing down the Nile is also a popular pastime during holidays in the Arab world's most populous nation. Ferry, railway, and road accidents are common in Egypt mainly because of poor maintenance and the lack of regulations, Arab News reported.
