Passenger ferries on the Nile River near Luxor, Egypt (representative photo only) Pixabay.com
Accidents

Five killed after overloaded charter boat sinks in Nile River near Cairo

Baird Maritime

Egyptian news outlets report that five people were killed after a private charter boat carrying 14 passengers capsized and sank near Egypt's capital city of Cairo on Tuesday, July 30.

According to initial reports, the unidentified vessel became unstable and sank bow-first into the river until only a small portion of it remained above the surface.

Rescuers later pulled ten survivors and the bodies of five deceased individuals out of the surrounding waters. The survivors, which included the boat's captain, were brought to hospital to be treated for asphyxia, though authorities assured that their condition has since improved.

The five fatalities include a 65-year-old male and four small children aged between eight and 15. This number also includes three individuals who were initially reported as missing.

The boat's 14 passengers at the time of the incident included Egyptian and Saudi nationals. Local officials said the vessel was licenced to carry a maximum of only four passengers and that it lacked the necessary permits for operating in the area of the Nile where it sank.