CAIRO, Jul 22 (Aswat Masriya) - Egyptian border guard forces have thwarted two illegal migration attempts by 51 people who were set to sail to Italy via Alexandria, a security source said.

According to the source, 28 persons including 24 Egyptians and four Sudanese, were aboard a wooden boat that was captured at the eastern port of the Mediterranean Sea. Another 23 persons were also captured at the Bardis beach in Abu Qir town.

Investigation is currently ongoing to determine the persons who arranged the migration attempt and the arrested are being cross-examined by the prosecution, the source added.

The International Organization for Migration said on Friday that nearly 3,000 migrants and refugees have perished in the Mediterranean Sea already this year while almost 250,000 have reached Europe.  

This is not the first time that the Egyptian military has announced foiling illegal migration attempts in the past few years. In June, the military spokesman said that Egyptian border guard forces stopped 445 persons before they could set sail from the country's coasts en route to Europe. 

Earlier, in April, Italy said that a boat capsized off Egypt's coast killing hundreds of migrants.

Conflicts and dire economic conditions in the Middle East and African countries pushed millions of migrants and refugees to cross over to Europe to flee poverty and war.