Sixteen people, including 12 foreign nationals, are missing after a tourist boat sank off Egypt’s Red Sea coast, the local government said on Monday.
The Sea Story was carrying 44 people, including 31 tourists and 13 crew on a multi-day diving trip when it went down near the town of Marsa Alam, the Red Sea governorate said in a statement, revising an earlier report of 14 Egyptian crew aboard.
Twenty-eight people were rescued and had only minor injuries, such as bruises and scrapes, with none requiring hospitalisation, it said.
The Red Sea is a popular diving destination, famous for its coral reefs and marine life, and plays a key role in Egypt’s tourism industry. Source: AAP
Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi said that preliminary reports suggested a sudden large wave struck the boat, capsizing it within 5 to 7 minutes.
“Some passengers were in their cabins, which is why they were unable to escape,” he said in the statement.
The governorate said a distress call was received at 5.30am local time from the boat, which had departed from Porto Ghalib in Marsa Alam on Sunday with plans to return to Hurghada Marina on 29 November.
Egyptian armed forces frigates and aircraft swept the area in search of the missing, but by 5pm the search had been paused for the night, a government source told Reuters on Monday.
The foreign nationals aboard the 34m long vessel, owned by an Egyptian national, included Americans, Belgians, British, Chinese, Finns, Germans, Irish, Poles, Slovakians, Spanish, and Swiss.
Hanafi said Egypt is working with embassies, consulates, and relevant authorities to facilitate documentation for the rescued passengers, who are being accommodated at a hotel in Marsa Alam, and to ensure their needs are met.
The Egyptian Red Sea Ports Authority said in a statement it had closed maritime traffic in the area on Sunday afternoon when the wind speed reached 34 knots and wave height reached 3 to 4 metres.
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