RAFAH, Egypt (AP) — An Egyptian security official says border guards have arrested 68 African migrants trying to illegally cross into Israel.

The official says guards spotted the group close to the barbed wire border in the Sinai Peninsula late Saturday and shot in the air, forcing them to stop and surrender.

The official says the 68 Africans included Sudanese, Ethiopians and Eritreans.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to brief the media.

Hundreds of Africans seeking political asylum and jobs try to illegally enter Israel every year, in long perilous desert trips, often with the help of Bedouin traffickers.

Egyptian border guards trying to stem the flow of illegal migration into Israel have killed dozens of migrants in recent years.