Two African illegal migrants were shot dead while trying to cross the border from Egypt into Israel, a security source told Xinhua.

According to the source, 23-year-old illegal migrant from Eritrea called Yassen and another 28-year-old called Ibrahim Mohamed Ali from Somalia died after they were shot in the chest.

The two bodies were transported to Al Arish Hospital and their embassies were informed.

The Egyptian-Israel border is a transit route for African illegal migrants who want to pursue jobs in Tel Aviv but Egypt stepped up patrols to stop such activities in the recent years.

A total of 124 illegal migrants have been arrested in June and 1,016 in 2008.

Source: Xinhua