Jenny Cawson, 36, and Tarig Sinada, 49, from Devon, were enjoying a reef safari holiday off the coast of Egypt when the boat they were on was hit by a huge wave and sank
Two missing Brits who are still missing after a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea off the Egyptian coast have been named as an adventure-loving engaged couple.
Jenny Cawson, 36, and Tarig Sinada, 49, from Devon, were enjoying a reef safari holiday off the coast of Egypt when the vessel was hit by a huge wave in the early hours of Monday. The pair, who have both worked as scuba diving instructors, are feared to have drowned after Egyptian authorities said they are among seven passengers from the boat who have still not been recovered.
A total of 33 people have been rescued and four people have died in the tragedy after the 144ft four deck vessel, named Sea Story, sank in an area known as Dolphin Reef. Two other Brits on board were among 28 people rescued just hours after it capsized at around 5.30am.
They have been named as London couple Colin Sharratt, 65 and Sally Jones, 58. Five more survivors were miraculously plucked from the wreckage on Tuesday night after surviving for more than 30 hours with just a tiny air pocket to breathe in underneath the boat.
They told how they were trapped in the pitch black and cold water with just their mouths and noses above the surface. As the identities of the missing Brits emerged last night Miss Cawson and Mr Sinada were described as a couple who love adventure and the outdoors, often snowboarding, mountain climbing and diving together.
Miss Cawson, who works as an IT consultant and Mr Sinada, an astrophysics graduate of Imperial College, have lived together for years in Ashburton, near Newton Abbot, Devon. Mr Sinada, works for Tata Consultancy Services back in the UK but has also worked as a scuba instructor in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, with Miss Cawson sometimes working alongside him.
An official source told the Daily Mail they were among those missing, presumed drowned. The Sea Story was due to return to Hurghada tomorrow after a six-day voyage from Port Ghalib. The journey is extremely popular with diving enthusiasts, with the area considered a world class reef.
The yacht is said to have sunk 40ft in just six minutes, with the hull of the boat currently floating just half a metre above the surface. Experts in Egypt have told The Mirror the search operation is getting increasingly difficult as the conditions of diving the wreck are extremely dangerous and the vessel is still being dragged further and further out to sea.
A spokesman for Mr Sidana’s employers said: “We hope for his safe return, along with all other passengers.” Miss Cawson’s relatives were too upset to comment. The Mirror has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.
