About 2,500 Egyptian children arrived in Italy by illegal immigration, Migration Minister Nabila Makram said on Monday, citing recent Italian statistics.

"Borg Mighazal village in Kafr el Sheikh governorate ranks first in illegal immigration journeys to European countries," the minister told a press conference in Kafr el Sheikh.

She added that the Upper Egypt governorates, topped by Minya, have the highest number of illegal migrants who left for Europe.