Nineteen people have been rescued out of about 30 believed to be on an Egyptian ferry that collided with another ferry and broke apart, officials said on Saturday, a day after the accident.

The two craft hit each other near Rashid city in Beheira governorate in north Egypt.

Initial reports had suggested several dozen passengers and crew may have been missing as the exact number of people on board was unclear. Figures provided on Saturday suggested about 11 were still missing.

One was a passenger ferry that broke apart during the accident while the other, carrying both passengers and cars, overturned causing no injuries or fatalities.

"It is expected that the total number of passengers on the boat that broke is 30," Beheira Governor Mohamed Sharawy told Reuters.

Six of the 19 rescued passengers were injured and were transferred to Rashid hospital in Beheira, the governor said.

"The 15 people on the other boat were all rescued," he added.

Another regional official gave similar figures.

Public river ferries in Egypt can sometimes be crowded and total numbers being carried are not always recorded, making an accurate count of the missing difficult. – Reuters