A boat carrying Syrian and Palestinian refugees has capsized near the northern coast of Egypt, leaving at least 12 people dead and several other missing.

The incident occurred on Friday when the vessel turned over off the coast of Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt, a security official said.

The official said the coast guard managed to rescue 116 people while naval vessels were searching for more survivors.

He said those onboard the boat were heading for Europe and had left Egypt illegally.

Egypt has taken in more than 100,000 Syrians fleeing the deadly militancy in their country, and some have tried to leave for Europe aboard overcrowded ships.

On Thursday, UN children’s agency said over one million kids are among 2.1 million refugees who have fled into neighboring Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million of others displaced since the outbreak of the violence in Syria in March 2011.