The Egyptian naval forces on Monday rescued a fishing boat carrying 81 illegal immigrants and the crew in the Mediterranean Sea, the official MENA news agency reported.
The naval forces moved swiftly after receiving a report from the salvage and rescue centre that the fishing boat sent an SOS off the coast of the northern city of Mersa Matrough.
The boat was led to safety with the pilot of a rescue vessel, said the report, without elaborating the nationality of the boat and the illegal immigrants.
Illegal immigration attempts from the northern Egyptian coast to Europe are frequently reported in the past few years and the Egyptian authorities have stepped up efforts to curb the trend.
On Aug. 25, the Egyptian security agencies foiled an attempt by 100 young people to illegally sneak into Italy from the northern Egyptian coast city of Alexandria via the Mediterranean Sea.