Poor economic conditions and the absence of proper regulations are the main reasons behind illegal emigration of Egyptians and some deadly incidents as a result. Doaa El-Bey looks at the most recent tragedy Libyan authorities handed over three survivors from a sunken vessel to Egyptian authorities late Tuesday. They were picked up from the Mediterranean near the border between the two countries. Earlier on the same day, Libya notified Egypt that a Libyan boat was able to rescue another 33 passengers. Out of the 40 people on board, one survived, three bodies were recovered -- two Egyptian and one Sudanese-- three were rescued and 33 were saved by a Libyan boat. The boat was carrying illegal migrants and capsized off Libya's east coast near the border with Egypt, said Mohamed Abdel-Qader, 23, the only passenger who survived. Abdel-Qader had alerted the Libyan authorities of the incident. Abdel-Qader could not confirm whether the passengers were all Egyptians but they were widely believed to be asylum seekers trying to get to Europe in search of jobs and a better life. Libya has been traditionally a launching pad for African refugees and migrants seeking to make an illegal run across the sea to Europe, with many landing in Italy. Migration from Egypt into Libya has recently been on the increase via sea, following a tightening of land borders in the past couple of months. Foreign Ministry spokesman Amr Roshdi blamed the incident on human traffickers "who improved their trafficking techniques without caring for the lives of the simple citizens they smuggle". Abdel-Qader told Libyan authorities 40 people were on the boat when it sank. They were travelling overnight Sunday from Salloum, an Egyptian port near Libya. They were part of a three-boat convoy full of migrants heading to Europe illegally, according to a statement from Egypt's Foreign Ministry. The boat was supposed to carry no more than 15 people. It started sinking from the weight of the passengers who began jumping into the sea in the middle of the night, Abdel-Qader added. Libyan authorities questioned Abdel-Qader and handed him over to Egyptian authorities on Tuesday after the investigation ended. Libya is to hand over the rest of the survivors today or tomorrow. The ongoing problem of illegal immigration is likely to remain unresolved until the root problems causing it -- poverty and the search for a better life -- are resolved. Thousands of Egyptians and African youths are willing to take the risky trip to Europe for the sake of a more affluent life. Human traffickers capitalise on the desperation of youths who are willing to risk their lives and cram into small, overloaded boats. Would-be migrants pay traffickers up to LE30,000 for the journey, a huge amount of money for most of them. Bilateral accords between Egypt and Italy which allow the repatriation of immigrants are key to regulating immigrant labour. Egypt and Italy signed an agreement in 2007 but a protocol between governments is not enough to dry up the flow of illegal immigrants to Europe, especially that migrants are willing to risk their lives to make the journey across the Mediterranean. Dozens of people have died in similar journeys in recent years. In March 2010, 18 Egyptians drowned at sea trying to enter illegally into Europe. In 2008, some 150 people including 50 Egyptians crammed into a fishing vessel big enough for only 40 passengers on a journey from Libya to Italy. Their boat sank and 40 drowned. In November 2007, two ships carrying some 200 Egyptians sank separately near the southern Italian border, resulting in the death of 22 people. One ship had left from Alexandria and the other from Libya. The next month, another boat sank off Turkey, killing 50, half of them Egyptians.
