World Bulletin/News Desk

The death toll from the sinking of an Egyptian fishing boat in the Red Sea earlier Sunday has risen to 15, according to a union source.

"Rescue operations – which have been going for several hours – led to the rescue of 11 fishermen and the recovery of 15 bodies," Bakri Abu Hassan, who heads the fishermen's union in the city of Suez, told The Anadolu Agency.

"The search for 14 fishermen who are still missing is underway," he added.

A boat carrying 40 fishermen sunk Sunday morning in the Red Sea after crashing with a cargo ship coming from the Suez Canal.

An official with the port authority in the eastern Red Sea province said that the authorities have "successfully tracked down and seized" the cargo ship involved the incident.

"We're directed the ship to the [eastern] Safaga port and will hold it there until investigations are over," Red Sea Ports Authority spokesperson Abdel Rehim Mostafa told AA.

Earlier Sunday, Abu Hassan told AA they received an SOS signal early Sunday from fishermen working in the Red Sea saying that a fishing boat has sunk with 40 fishermen on board.