The rescue mission to find seven missing tourists who were on the Sea Story vessel, including two Brits, has entered its fourth day today after the 144ft four-deck yacht was hit by a huge wave
The father of a heroic diving instructor who became trapped as he tried to save passengers on board their capsized yacht in the Red Sea has revealed they spent 30 hours in complete darkness and cold water.
The rescue mission to find seven missing tourists who were on the Sea Story vessel, including two Brits, has entered its fourth day today.
When the 144ft four-deck yacht was hit by a huge wave off the coast of Egypt on Monday morning, Youssef Al-Faramawi, 23, was one of the first to sound the alarm.
The Egyptian military and coastguard, with the help of local divers, have already rescued 33 people including five who were miraculously plucked from the sea on Tuesday night after surviving with just 20cm of air underneath the floating wreckage.
Among them was Youssef, who was rescued by his own uncle, Khattab al-Faramawi, who also works with Dive Pro Liveaboard, the firm which operated the Sea Story cruise.
Youssef’s father Hussam al-Faramawi told the BBC: “I could do nothing but pray to God to help my boy, and thankfully his uncle finally saved him.”
Mr al-Faramawy said he broke down in tears when he learnt his son had survived. “I couldn’t tell his mother what happened to the boat, she would have died immediately. I only told her after I realised that he survived,” he said.
Youssef is currently receiving treatment in a local hospital alongside other survivors. Police told the Mirror that 29 others have already discharged themselves and returned to Hurghada.
Youssef, with Captain Alaa Hussein – whose body was found yesterday – sent out a distress signal before the boat sank at around 5.30am on Monday in an area known as Dolphin Reef.
Recounting his son’s heroic actions, Hussam told the Times how the young diver then rushed to help a man and woman who he had been instructing on the five-day cruise from Masra Alam to Hurghada. The pair were trapped in a cabin and the water had flooded the boat leaving Youssef trapped with them.
Hussam added: “However, about 20cm inside the cabin were still not flooded, which helped them breathe and stay alive until the rescue teams arrived.”They remained in this situation in complete darkness and cold water for about 30 hours.”
One British survivor said it was pitch black when the boat capsized. “I tried to swim up but the current was too strong and I felt like I was choking,” the passenger told investigators. “What saved me was my life jacket, which kept me on the surface until the rescue teams arrived.” Another person on board, a crew member, said the wave that hit the boat was huge. “We’d never seen anything like it before. It hit the boat suddenly and caused it to shake violently before it capsized. We tried to alert passengers but there was very little time.”
Another driver in the 13-man crew had been on deck when the wave struck. They told how they “felt the boat tilting sharply and tried to hold on to something stable, but the capsizing was very quick.”
He added: “I heard screams from inside the cabins but many couldn’t get out because the doors were closed and the place was filling with water.”
Two British survivors who were rescued by the Egyptian authorities on Monday have reportedly been named by pals on social media as Colin Sharratt, 65, a former housing consultant from London, and Sally Jones, 58.
The couple were among six rescued tourists who were treated at a hospital in Marsa Alam, along with three Egyptian men who worked on the ship. A local source told the Times they sustained minor injuries from the ordeal but were in “good spirits” and discharged themselves from hospital.
A friend who saw footage of the pair on TV after they were rescued posted a photo of them on social media and said: “Thankfully they both survived.”
Officials have not confirmed the identities of the four dead people recovered from the Sea Story wreck, but it is understood two British people are among the seven still missing.
The rescue and recovery operation to find them is ongoing but local divers told the Mirror it is getting increasingly difficult as the boat continues to drift out to sea and the conditions of diving the wreck are extremely dangerous.
Speaking about the rescue mission to save his nephew, Youssef, Khattab Faramawi told the BBC: “We were using torch lights to try to find our way into the darkness, it was quite a complicated mission.”
