Egypt tourist boat sinks off Red Sea, 17 missing

At slightest 28 rescued aft the boat, called Sea Story and carrying 45 people, sinks adjacent the coastal municipality of Marsa Alam.

Egyptian authorities person rescued 28 radical aft a tourer yacht capsized disconnected the country’s Red Sea seashore connected Monday, arsenic hunt operations continued for astatine slightest 17 others, including foreigners.

The boat, Sea Story, was carrying 45 people, including 31 tourists of varying nationalities and 14 crew, connected a multi-day diving travel erstwhile it went down adjacent the coastal municipality of Marsa Alam, according to a connection by the Red Sea Governorate connected Monday.

Governor Amr Hanafi said immoderate survivors were rescued utilizing a chopper and person been taken to aesculapian care.

Efforts to find much survivors were ongoing successful coordination with the Egyptian navy and army, officials told Reuters quality agency.

The governorate said a distress telephone was received astatine 5:30am (03:30 GMT) and that the vessel had departed from Port Ghalib successful Marsa Alam connected Sunday, with plans to instrumentality to Hurghada Marina connected November 29.

According to Ahram Online, the Egyptian Meteorological Authority had forecast turbulent seas successful the Mediterranean and Red Seas, and advised the suspension of each maritime activities connected Sunday and Monday.

It besides said that question heights were predicted to scope 4-6 metres (13-20 feet) successful the Mediterranean and 3-4 metres (10-13 feet) successful the Red Sea.

It was unclear however the vas got support to sail amid the inclement weather.

The Red Sea is simply a fashionable diving destination renowned for its coral reefs and marine life, cardinal to Egypt’s captious tourism industry.

In 2023, three British tourists went missing and 12 were rescued aft a centrifugal vessel caught occurrence disconnected Marsa Alam.

The twelvemonth 2016 saw 1 of the worst oversea disasters successful Egypt, erstwhile a vessel carrying astir 600 migrants sank successful the Mediterranean, sidesplitting astatine slightest 170 people.

Source

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies