An Egyptian court has cleared a ferry-owner and four others of all charges relating to the sinking of a ferry with the loss of more than 1,000 lives.
The vessel sank in February 2006 as it was carrying passengers from Saudi Arabia to the Egyptian port of Safaga.
A captain of another ship was found guilty of failing to help the stricken ferry and was sentenced to six months in prison.
The sinking was Egypt’s worst maritime disaster.
A parliamentary inquiry blamed the ferry company for the disaster, saying it had continued to operate the boat despite serious defects.
There were angry scenes at the court where many relatives of the victims had gathered to hear the verdicts.
![[20-1-1984] A light armored vehicle patrols a street in Nador, northeastern Morocco, Friday, where mass protests and labor strikes against the rising food prices were brutally suppressed, resulting in injuries and deaths among demonstrators [Photo courtesy of the UK Socialist Worker Archive].](https://arabawy.org/wp-content/uploads//2008/07/Moroccos-Bread-Intifada-1984-إنتفاضة-الخبز-في-المغرب-e1427492111882.jpg)