CAIRO: The bodies of five more Egyptians who drowned when a boat carrying illegal immigrants capsized off the Turkish coast last week have been identified, which brings the total to 12, the Foreign Ministry told Daily News Egypt.
According to Rasha Mohammed, the media spokesperson handling this case at the Foreign Ministry, five additional bodies had been identified by the families of the victims. The previous seven had been identified by a survivor.
It is believed that there were 32 Egyptians on the boat, which drowned near Sefirihisar near the city of Izmir.
“We are in the process of identifying the bodies so we can ship them home. Our embassy and consul in Turkey will conduct an investigation get more background on the incident so that they can cooperate with the relevant authorities [in Turkey], said Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of Deputy Assistant Minister for Consular Affairs Ahmed Qwesny.
The boat which drowned in Aegean sea is believed to have carried at least 90 people. Turkish rescue efforts have so far recovered 40 bodies.
The 15-meter boat is believed to have capsized late last Saturday due to poor weather conditions as well as the overloading of passengers.
The passengers were would-be migrants and refugees seeking better living conditions elsewhere besides their country of origin.
When asked what would make people risk their lives in such a manner, Diaa Rashwan an expert at the Sociological Unit of Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies said that “the question to be asked is what will make them not do something like this?
“A certain segment of Egyptian society has nothing to look forward to here, Rashwan told Daily News Egypt, “Talk to the young people in the streets and those who come from the countryside looking for work in Cairo. The situation for certain people in this country is desperate.
“They feel the risk is worth taking even if death is the price they might pay, he added. “On a social level, the situation in Egypt is very dire, and while the main focus might be on the political situation here, on a sociological level, things are very bad.
Daily News Egypt previously reported that the death toll for the boat accident could rise to 86 according to spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Jennifer Pagonis.
According to Pagonis, 51 people are known to have drowned and an additional 35 people are missing and presumed dead.
