Three people have been found alive a day after the Egyptian tourist boat capsized, raising hopes for two British nationals believed to be among nine people still missing.
Provincial Governor Amr Hanafi said rescue teams found two Belgian tourists and an Egyptian national alive, bringing the total number of survivors to 31.
According to the Red Sea Governorate, four bodies have now been recovered from the boat, while rescue teams are still searching for nine missing people.
The boat named Sea Story sank near Shaab Satayah, a coral reef popular for diving trips, off the coast of the tourist resort of Marsa Alam in the early hours of yesterday morning.
According to reports, two British tourists have been rescued, while two more Britons are among the missing.
The nationalities of the three people whose bodies were found have not yet been confirmed.
Rescue teams had “stepped up efforts” to find those who went missing after the 34-metre boat sank.
Those who escaped the ship said a “high sea wave” hit it and capsized it within “about five or seven minutes,” Hanafi said.
Some passengers were in the cabins, “that’s why they couldn’t get out of the boat,” he added in a statement.
The incident occurred during rough weather conditions, with Egypt’s Red Sea Ports Authority reporting wave heights of 3 to 4 meters and wind speeds of 34 knots in the area on Sunday, leading to the closure of maritime traffic.
The boat named Sea Story (pictured) had 31 tourists of different nationalities and 13 crew members on board when it sank
Medics and people wait for possible survivors after a boat sank in a port in Marsa Alam, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt, November 25, 2024
Survivors of the sinking boat rest at a port in Marsa Alam, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt, November 25, 2024
The boat was carrying 31 tourists of different nationalities – including four British and two Americans – and 13 Egyptian crew members on board, local media reported Masrawy (photo: people waiting on the beach for survivors)
Medics wait for possible survivors after a boat sank in a port in Marsa Alam, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt, November 25, 2024
A surviving crew member said the boat was “hit by a wave in the middle of the night, causing the ship to fall on its side,” according to a manager at a diving resort close to the rescue operations.
The boat left for a diving trip from Ghalib harbor in Marsa Alam on November 24 and was due to arrive at Hurghada marina on November 29.
Some survivors were reportedly flown to shore by helicopter to receive medical care, while others were transported via another boat.
The search was reportedly hampered by bad weather after authorities in Hurghada, the Red Sea capital, halted maritime activities and the city’s port on Sunday – also due to “bad weather conditions”.
But the wind around Marsa Alam had remained favorable until Sunday evening, the dive manager told AFP, before calming again by morning.
The company that operates the yacht, Dive Pro Liveaboard in Hurghada, Egypt, said yesterday it had no information on the matter.
Hanafi said the boat passed its last safety inspection in March 2024, with no technical issues reported. The boat, owned by an Egyptian national, was 34 meters long and had received a one-year safety certificate from the Maritime Safety Authority.
The ship tracking website Marine Traffic showed that the last location the boat had shared was somewhere outside Hurghada.
The Sea Story is a 144-foot pleasure boat built in 2022 that can carry up to 36 passengers
The Sea Story is a 44-meter, four-deck pleasure boat built in 2022 that can carry up to 36 passengers.
The boat has a total of 18 double cabins with en-suite bathrooms on board, which are used for tourists on diving trips hoping to explore the reefs of the Red Sea.
Authorities have not confirmed the nationalities of the tourists and it is unclear who is among those rescued and who remains missing.
The Chinese embassy in Egypt said on Monday that two of its nationals were in “good health” after being “rescued from the sinking cruise ship in the Red Sea”, Chinese state media reported.
The ship tracking website Marine Traffic showed that the last location the boat had shared was somewhere outside Hurghada
The passenger dining room on the Sea Story is pictured above
Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski said authorities “have information that two of the tourists may have had Polish citizenship.”
The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to the AFP news agency that one of its nationals is also among the missing.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told MailOnline: ‘We are providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families following an incident in Egypt and are in contact with local authorities.’
It is not the first time this year that a diving tour boat sank in the Red Sea. Earlier this month, thirty people were rescued from a sinking submarine near the famous Deadalus Reef in the Red Sea.
In June, 20 French tourists were safely evacuated before their boat sank in a similar accident.