The boat, named Sea Story, reportedly sank near Shaab Satayah, a popular diving destination, off the tourist resort of Marsa Alam
Dozens of tourists have gone missing after the sinking of a boat off the coast of Egypt.
The boat, which was named Sea Story, is believed to have sank close to a popular diving destination called Shaab Satayah, off the tourist resort of Marsa Alam. At around 5.30am this morning, a member of staff on board the vessel raised the alarm and the coastguard was sent out to try track them down.
The passengers had been on a multi-day diving trip in the Red Sea, which is one of the best diving destinations in the world. The ship departed from the port of Ghalib in Marsa Alam yesterday, with an expected arrival at Hurghada Marina on Friday.
On board were 31 tourists of different nationalities. There were also 14 crew members on board.
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Shortly after the sinking, a search operation involving Egypt’s navy got underway with a helicopter scouring the ocean overhead.
Amr Hanafy, governor of the Red Sea region, said that search and rescue planes had been used to pluck some survivors from the ocean before transporting them to local hospitals. The remainder of the tourists were forced to stay at the boat’s last-known position, awaiting the arrival of the Al-Fateh frigate to rescue them. Despite this detail, the governor did not provide an accurate toll on the number of casualties, fatalities or survivors.
The ship, which is called Sea Story and was built in 2022, is 144ft long and can carry up to 32 passengers.
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