Partygoers hurt as Egyptian boat restaurant starts sinking

Egyptian revellers on the Nile River were lucky to escape death after the boat they were on started to sink, according to local media reports.

About 500 passengers had been on board the floating restaurant in Mansoura, northeast Egypt, where two birthday parties and a wedding were being held on Thursday night.

Videoes of the incident circulating on social media show passengers on the two-storey boat screaming in fear as part of the vessel submerged.

The incident caused no fatalities, the local reports said, but a number of passengers were taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Efforts to save the boat from sinking are still ongoing.

Officials have yet to release a statement about what happened.

The boat was unlicensed and operated illegally by its owners, The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported, citing security sources.