CAIRO: An appeals court reduced a prison sentence handed down to two ferry captains from Rosetta accused of negligence from one year to three months. Ferry captains Tantawy Mohamed Abdel Hamid and Mansour Mohamed Mansour were also required to pay a LE 1,000 bail and a LE 100 fine for steering the ferry without a license. The court also cleared the owners of the ferries Mohamed El-Sayed El-Haddad and Mohamed Mansour Mohamed of all charges but fined them LE 100 each. On Dec. 4, 2009, a boat and a ferry used to transport commuters from Rosetta to Motoubas in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, collided near Rosetta in Beheira governorate, injuring 21 passengers. The prosecution had accused the four defendants of causing unintended injury and the illegal use of unlicensed fishing boats to transport citizens. "The families of the wounded did not protest the verdict because there weren't any deaths in the accident and the injuries were superficial, Fathalla El-Gendi, head of the executive board of the Rosetta City Council, told Daily News Egypt. "In addition, the governor supported the families, and the families were satisfied. It's an ordinary accident, he continued. "Everything is back to normal, he said. To avoid future accidents, El-Gendi explained that the Rosetta City Council has started implementing precautionary measures such as reinforcing land transportation lines from Rosetta to Motoubas at the same cost as the ferries; as well as employ supervisors to monitor the activities of ferries, check licenses, technical states, and ensure that no ferries are used to transport passengers after sunset.
