CAIRO: Three Egyptian and one Palestinian fisherman have drowned off the Libyan coast, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement Friday.
Their boat sank, and the four remaining crew members on the boat were rescued, he said.
“Another boat carrying other eight Egyptian fishermen is missing as well,”Abu Zeid said, adding that contacts with the Libyan authority and chieftains continued to help release the four rescued fishermen, stressing that reports are initial for the vessel that departed Kafr el-Sheikh Friday.
On Thursday, head of the Fishermen Syndicate Ahmed Nassar has said thirty Egyptian fishermen drowned off Libyan shores, according to Youm7.
In September 2012, Egypt withdrew its embassy in Libya due to the deteriorated security situation that followed the 2011 uprising the toppled President Muammar Ghadafi.
On Aug. 9, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry called on fishermen to respect the sovereignty of other countries and not to fish in their waters without prior permits.