Authorities in Beheira governorate on Friday arrested a new suspect in relation to the capsizing of a boat filled with irregular migrants last summer, which left over 200 dead. Last September, a migrant boat carrying an estimated 450 people capsized near the coastal city of Rosetta, killing at least 203 people. The boat which was heading to Italy and was carrying Egyptian, Sudanese, Eritrean, and Somali migrants. The arrested man - a fisherman - has admitted committing fraud against the boat passengers; he will be referred to prosecutors for questioning, MENA state news agency reported. In March, a court in Beheira handed initial jail sentences ranging from two to 13 years to 56 people charged in relation to the incident. The convicted were found guilty of charges including manslaughter, negligence and endangering lives. In November, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi approved a new law aimed at curbing irregular migration and cracking down on human smuggling. A growing number of migrants have in recent years tried to cross to Italy in perilous sea journeys from the African coasts of Libya and Egypt. Crossings are organised by migrant traffickers in rickety boats that often capsize, leading to many deaths.
