By ELVA RAMIREZ and CORKY SIEMASZKO
The maritime disaster off the Egyptian coast hit home yesterday in New York.

Dozens of worried emigres deluged the Egyptian Consulate in Manhattan with calls and the sadness quickly spread to Queens, where Egyptian cafes and businesses line Steinway St. in Astoria.

"It's a big tragedy," said Mohamed Elmahy, 45, owner of New Yorker Insurance and Travel. "It's a very sad day for all Egyptians."

At the Al-Iman Mosque on Steinway, Imam Samy Masoud said through a spokesman, "We pray for [the victims] and ask God to accept them into heaven. It is sad, but we know that this happens by God's will."

But on the street, the sinking of the Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 filled Manhattan dance teacher Hosni Shahatak with anger.

"I'm devastated by what happened," said Shahatak, 50. "We're in 2006 and with all the technology maybe one or two should have died, not a whole ship. At least the Titanic had lifeboats."

The disaster muted the celebrations that erupted inside the cafes after Egypt defeated Congo 4-1 in the African Cup soccer semifinals.

"I don't know anyone in the accident, but I feel sad for those people," said Ahamad Shaker, 49, a limo driver from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.

Said Ahmad, 47, who owns the Egyptian Cafe, said the widely held belief on Steinway St. is that the passengers might have survived if they weren't sailing home aboard an aging rust bucket.

"You're dealing with people's lives, you have to be really serious about what you do," he said. "How are the people going to escape from the boat. You think they're going to have lifesavers for 1,600 people?"