Egypt tourist boat latest: Red Sea search enters critical third day with two Britons still unaccounted for

Two Britons are among those missing after a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea off Egypt.

Consular support is being provided to “a number of British nationals and their families” after the vessel capsized south of the coastal town of Marsa Alam, the UK Foreign Office said.

The Sea Story was carrying 44 people, including 31 foreign nationals from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain and Ireland.

Five people were found alive on Tuesday, adding to a total of 33 people rescued from the boat, but British nationals were not part of the cohort that was found.

The governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafi, said the five survivors were two Belgians, an Egyptian, a Swiss citizen, and a Finnish national. He also said the four bodies are yet to be identified.

Ireland’s government has confirmed that the Irish citizen who was onboard is “OK”.

Foreign Affairs minister Micheal Martin provided the update to reporters in Dublin on Tuesday morning.

“My understanding is that Irish citizen is OK and receiving consular assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs,” he said.

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.

A search for seven people missing on the tourist yacht continues for the third day after it capsized in less than seven minutes on Monday into the Red Sea.

The governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafy, said rescuers were still searching for the missing people after a total of 33 people were rescued.

The Sea Story was carrying 44 people, including 31 foreign nationals from the UK, the US, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain and Ireland, when it was struck by a large wave.

The governor said he visited the site where the vessel sank and said those rescued were airlifted to receive medical treatment.

Those who survived suffered only bruises and abrasions and were taken to a hotel in Marsa Alam in good condition.

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.

A surviving crew member also said the boat was “hit by a wave in the middle of the night, throwing the vessel on its side”.

Other survivors said a “high sea wave” hit the vessel and caused it to capsize in “about five or seven minutes”, according to the governor of the Red Sea region Amr Hanafi.

The capsized Sea Story vessel had enough “safety rafts” for everyone on board the boat, its specifications show.

On the Dive Pro Liveaboard website, the company which owns and operates the boat, Sea Story is listed with “two safety rafts for 25 persons each”. There were 44 people on board the boat.

But according to Red Sea regional governor Amr Hanafi, some people were stuck in their cabins when a huge wave struck the boat and it began to capsize.

The website says that each cabin had life jackets inside.

The four-deck boat has 18 twin cabins, a lounge, and a bar. It is 44 meters long and 9 meters wide, the specifications add.

Egypt has a much higher risk level than the UK, so the whole journey should be considered. The Foreign Office says: “[Road accidents are common because of poor road conditions, dangerous driving and poor traffic law enforcement.

“Serious bus crashes in recent years have caused many deaths, including tourists.

“There have also been fatal train collisions and derailments.”

The best protection is afforded by booking a proper package (flights, accommodation and activities) through a UK operator, who do all they can to ensure it is a safe experience. But ultimately safety standards are not up to British standards.

Not especially – except for Houthi activity – but there can be some intense thunderstorms.

The worst maritime disaster in the Red Sea occurred in 2006, when a ferry from Duba in Saudi Arabia to Safaga in Egypt sank after a fire on board and subsequent efforts to extinguish it. Around 1,000 passengers lost their lives, with bad weather thought to have contributed to the appallingly high death toll.

The Foreign Office warns: “Overcrowding and poor safety standards have caused accidents on Red Sea ferries and Nile cruises.”

In June 2023 three British tourists died in a fire aboard another dive boat, Hurricane, close to the spot Sea Story sank.

The sinking of a diving boat in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt has shocked the region and many across the world.

Three bodies have now been recovered, with 13 people still lost at sea as rescue efforts continue.

It is not the first such incident on a diving boat in the Red Sea. in June 2023, three British tourists died after a diving boat burst into flames.

They were part of a group of 15 qualified divers. The remaining 12 divers and 13 crew members evacuated the vessel.

Here is our report from last June: