Egypt tourist boat latest: More survivors rescued as search intensifies for remaining missing passengers
Two Britons are still unaccounted for after a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea
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Your support makes all the difference.Four bodies have been recovered from the tourist yacht which was hit by a “huge wave” and sank off the Red Sea coast of Egypt on Monday.
But five more people were found alive today - two Belgian tourists, an Egyptian a Swiss national and a Finnish national - and rescue teams were still searching for eight missing people, the area’s governor said in a statement. This brings the total number of survivors to 33.
Two Britons were among the 16 people initially reported missing, according to Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi. It is unconfirmed whether the Brits were among the bodies recovered on Tuesday.
The rescue is being coordinated by the Egyptian military and the Red Sea Governate, with armed forces aircraft deployed to the scene.
The boat sank off the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam with 31 tourists of various nationalities and 13 crew members on board.
It has not been confirmed what caused the four-deck motor yacht to capsize, but the Egyptian Meteorological Authority had warned about rough weather, advising against maritime activity for Sunday and Monday on the Red Sea.
Yacht operation company ‘has no information on matter’
The yacht was operated by Dive Pro Liveaboard, which is based in the Egyptian resort of Hurghada.
The company said it has no information on the matter.
What caused the yacht to sink?
It was not immediately clear what caused the four-deck motor yacht to sink after it departed from the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam on Monday.
The Egyptian Meteorological Authority on Saturday warned about rough weather and large waves, advising against maritime activity for Sunday and Monday on the Red Sea.
Governor of the Red Sea region Amr Hanafi according to those on board, a huge wave hit the vessel and caused it to capsize in about five or seven minutes.
Some passengers were inside the cabins, “which is why they couldn’t get out of the boat”, his statement on Facebook said.
Survivors accommodated in hotel
Survivors of the sunken boat were being accommodated in a hotel in Marsa Alam on Monday, Reuters reported.
Authorites are working with embassies and consulates as they provide assistance and documentation to the survivors.
Technical issue ruled out
Governor of the Red Sea region Amr Hanafi ruled out that there was a technical defect to the ship, saying that all the required licences had been obtained for The Sea Story.
Yacht was carrying 31 foreigners
Amr Hanafi, governor of the Red Sea region, said the yacht was carrying 44 people. It has capacity for 48 people, according to its website.
This included 31 foreign nationals from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain and Ireland.
Passengers were stuck inside cabins, governor says
Some passengers were stuck inside cabins when the vessel was hit by a large wave and capsized, the Red Sea’s governor said.
Two Britons feared missing in Red Sea
Two Britons are reported to be among dozens of people feared missing after a tourist yacht was “hit by a wave” and sank off the coast of Egypt on Monday.
At least 16 people are feared missing despite a massive rescue operation saving 28 people from the vessel, according to the governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafi.
The boat sank off the south of the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam with 31 tourists of various nationalities on board along with 13 crew members.
Four of those on board were British, according to Egyptian officials cited by local media. The BBC has reported two British people are still missing.
Chinese and Polish nationals declared safe
The Chinese embassy in Egypt said Monday two of its nationals were “in good health” after being “rescued in the cruise ship sinking accident in the Red Sea”, Chinese state media reported.
Pawel Wronski, the Polish foreign ministry spokesman, said authorities “have information that two of the tourists may have had Polish citizenship”.
“That’s all we know about them. That’s all we can say for now,” he said. The Finnish foreign ministry confirmed one of its nationals is missing.
Pictured: Survivors of capsized vessel
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