The trial of six suspects over the capsize of an Egyptian ferry in February resumed in Egypt's Red Sea port city of Safaga on Monday, but it was adjourned again later in the day.

The trial was adjourned until Sept. 4, the official MENA news agency reported.

It was the second time that the trial was adjourned. The first session of the trial was opened on June 5 but adjourned immediately as no suspect appeared in the courtroom.

The ferryboat sank in the Red Sea on Feb. 3 as it was en route from Saudi Arabia to Safaga, some 600 km southeast of Cairo, killing some 1,033 passengers and injuring about 385. It was the worst tragedy in the Egyptian maritime history.

The six defendants, including the owner of the ferryboat Mamdouh Ismail and his son, are facing charges of negligence, failure to take actions to save the passengers and failure to inform the authorities after knowing the accident.

The adjournment came as the compensation for the families of the victims and survivors was still underway.

Egypt began to distribute compensation on June 11 with a total compensation fund amounted to about 57 million U.S. dollars, which was transferred to the Egyptian authorities by Ismail.

The family of each dead person would get about 52,170 dollars while those survivors would receive about 8,696 dollars each, reported MENA.

Ismail was formerly a member of the Shura Council or Egypt's parliamentary upper house. He and his son had fled the country after the accident and was believed in Britain, according to MENA.

Source: Xinhua