A ferry carrying day labourers sank in the Nile just outside the Egyptian capital, killing at least ten of the 15 people on board, authorities said on Monday.
The five who survived were transported to a hospital and later discharged, the Ministry of Manpower said in a statement. The cause of the sinking was not made immediately clear.
The ministry allocated compensation of 200,000 Egyptian pounds (around $6,466) to each family of the deceased and 20,000 ($646) to each of the five injured.
The labourers were on their way to work at a local construction firm. It took rescue teams hours to recover the bodies, according to local media which aired live-stream videos on social media platforms showing divers searching for the dead as villagers waited on the Nile banks.
Boats used daily
The incident took place in the town of Monshat el-Kanater in Giza, which is one of three provinces forming Greater Cairo.
Many Egyptians make their way using boats on a daily basis, especially in Upper Egypt and the Nile Delta. Sailing along the Nile is also a favourite pastime during holidays in the Arab world's most populous country.
In 2022, two people died and eight went missing after a small truck they were riding in slid off a ferry and plunged into the Nile.
And in 2015, 35 people died in a collision between a passenger boat and a scow on the Nile.
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