Elhamy Agina, a member of Egypt’s parliament, has said that the 168 migrants that died last week when their boat capsized near Rosetta “deserved to die” and “do not deserve sympathy."

Agina went on to blame the parents of the dead, saying, "The parents of young people who migrate illegally, get caught trying to do so or die [in the process] should be punished because these young people are reckless and have not found anyone to tell them right from wrong.” He continued, "If young people travel behind their parents' backs or without their permission, it is their own fault what happens and they do not deserve sympathy."

In the five days since the disaster, 163 of the 450 people on board have been rescued and 168 bodies have been recovered. Most of the migrants were Egyptian, but Sudanese, Eritrean, Syrian, and Ethiopian people were also on board.

Agina recently made headlines for his comments regarding FGM, saying that women should undergo the procedure because Egyptian men are sexually weak.

On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on the EU to create agreements regarding migrants with Egypt and Tunisia, similar to the deal struck with Turkey. In March, Turkey and the EU agreed that Ankara would attempt to control the flow of migrants to Europe in exchange for financial aid and visa-free travel.