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World

Egypt death toll in boat collision on Nile River rises to 17; captain, his assistant detained

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    Egyptian women mourn for victims of a passenger boat after it sunk in the river Nile in Giza, south of Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Egypt's Interior ministry says more than a dozen civilians have drowned when the passenger boat traveling down the Nile near Cairo collided with a scow, causing the boat to capsize. (AP Photo/Samer Abdullah) (The Associated Press)

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    Egyptians look at the passenger boat that sunk in the river Nile in Giza, south of Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Egypt's Interior ministry says more than a dozen civilians have drowned when the passenger boat traveling down the Nile near Cairo collided with a scow, causing the boat to capsize. (AP Photo/Samer Abdullah) (The Associated Press)

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    Egyptian volunteers look for victims of a passenger boat after it sank in the river Nile in Giza, south of Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, July 23, 2015. Egypt's Interior ministry says more than a dozen civilians have drowned when the passenger boat traveling down the Nile near Cairo collided with a scow, causing the boat to capsize. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) (The Associated Press)

CAIRO – Egypt's health ministry says the death toll from a collision of two boats on the Nile the night before has risen to 17, after two more bodies were retrieved from the river.

Health ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar told The Associated Press the search for the victims continued into Thursday. A passenger boat and a scow collided late Wednesday near Cairo. Initially, 15 bodies were recovered and four were rescued.

Prosecutor Khaled Abdel-Hameed ordered the scow's captain and his assistant detained, accusing them of manslaughter.

Nile traffic has been heavy, especially near Cairo, as Egyptians celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holiday following the holy month of Ramadan.

Nile rides are among favorite pastimes during the holidays but many city dwellers also use the passenger boats for travel along the Nile.