Their excursion to the Red Sea turned into a tragedy. 16 of the 44 passengers of a tourist boat disappeared this Monday, November 25 after their boat sank off the coast of Egypt, Egyptian authorities announced.
• A “sudden” wave hit the boat
The Sea Story ship set sail from Port Ghalib in southeastern Egypt on Sunday for a multi-day diving expedition. It was due to arrive on Friday in Hurghada, 200 kilometers further north.
But the ship sent distress signals at 05:30 local time, according to a statement from the Red Sea governorate.
Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi said that according to initial reports, “a sudden and large wave” hit the ship, causing it to capsize. Some passengers could not escape because they were in the cabins.
• The investigation continues “actively”
The boat was carrying “31 tourists of different nationalities as well as 13 crew members,” authorities said.
According to Amr Hanafi, the survivors were evacuated during an air operation and others aboard a military ship.
“The investigation is actively continuing in collaboration with the navy and armed forces” to find possible survivors, he said in a news release.
• Four Egyptians and 12 foreigners are wanted
The ship, owned by an Egyptian citizen, was carrying passengers from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain and Ireland. Among the missing are four Egyptians and 12 foreigners, the governorate stated.
The Chinese embassy in Cairo said two of its citizens were “in good health” after being rescued.
The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed to AFP the disappearance of one of its nationals. Likewise, Berlin indicated that “German citizens were missing after the tragic accident in the Red Sea.”
• The third accident of the year in the Red Sea
Dozens of dive boats explore coral reefs and islands off Egypt’s eastern coast every day, where strict safety regulations are unevenly enforced.
Monday’s accident is at least the third of its kind reported this year near Marsa Alam on the Red Sea. In early November, 30 people were rescued after a dive boat sank near the famous Deadalus Reef.
Last June, around twenty French tourists were evacuated unharmed before their boat sank in a similar accident. A year earlier, three British tourists lost their lives when a fire reduced their yacht to ashes.
Source: BFM TV
