Pilgrim ship in Suez collision
2005-10-17 23:24
Cairo - One person was killed and 20 were injured on Monday after an Egyptian boat carrying Muslims who had just made their pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia collided with a Cypriot cargo ship near the Suez Canal, police said.
The Egyptian ship was carrying 72 crew and 1 450 passengers.
Most were Egyptians returning from Saudi after making what is known as the "small pilgrimage" to the holy sites of Mecca and Medina, ahead of the major pilgrimage known as the haj which takes place later this month.
The collision caused a 5m wide split in the Egyptian ship, police said.
Egyptian authorities have sent rescue teams to evacuate the remaining passengers, police added.