Four Eritrean migrants killed near Egypt-Israel border

Four Eritrean migrants were shot dead and 10 others were injured in a clash with traffickers near the Egypt-Israel border on Saturday, an Egyptian security official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Earlier, the official put the toll at one killed and three others wounded.

Traffickers and illegal Eritrean migrants exchanged fire in the mountainous region south of Rafah and Karem Shalom crossings, as the Eritreans were trying to sneak into Israel, the security source said.

He added that traffickers had captured a group of migrants, asking their relatives to pay 1,000 U.S. dollars for each as trafficking fees, and one of the migrants tried to free his colleagues after seizing one of the traffickers' weapon.

An investigation was opened, and security agencies in North Sinai are now searching for the perpetrators, the official MENA news agency reported.

The Eygpt-Israel borders have long been a major transit route for illegal African migrants seeking jobs in Israel. It is also used by smugglers to ferry drugs and weapons into Israel and a range of goods into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.