At least 12 dead as boat capsizes in northern Egypt

At least 12 people died as a boat capsized in a lake in northern Egypt, local media reported on Tuesday.

The boat carrying 19 people, including women and children, capsized in the Lake Mariut, located west of the city of Alexandria, al-Dustour daily quoted Ihab al-Mallahi, the head of a rescue team, as saying.

He said 12 bodies had been recovered so far, with rescue workers searching for others missing on the lake.

It was not immediately clear what caused the capsizing, but local media reports suggest most of the boats on the lake operate without licenses.

The preliminary assessment indicates that people on board were from the same family, El-Watan newspaper quoted Alexandria’s Governor Mohammed el-Sharif as saying.

He said four rescue teams were involved in search and rescue efforts.

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara