No fewer than nine people may have died after a boat carrying about 20 people capsized on Lake Mariout in Alexandria, northern Egypt, on Monday night.
Emergency responders rescued seven people, five of whom were injured, with at least four still missing as of Tuesday.
Nine bodies, including two children aged one and a four-year-old, were also retrieved from the waters.
Local media reports claimed the 20 in the boat are all from the same family.
The cause of the capsize is not known, but the governor of Alexandria, Mohammed el-Sharif, said the boat was being used for entertainment purposes without the necessary permits.
He added that boat was small and overcrowded, suggesting a possible cause of the capsizing.
Lake Mariout is a popular destination for cruises and picnics among people living in Alexandria, a large part of which is situated between the lake’s northern shore and the Mediterranean coast.