Survivor of Egyptian tourist boat tragedy reveals she had to wait 35 HOURS for help and was 'ready to die' - but made a lucky discovery in the engine room

A subsister of the Egyptian tourer vessel calamity person revealed however she had to hold 35 hours for assistance and however she was 'ready to die' aft the yacht capsized successful the Red Sea.

In November 2025, the yacht 'Sea Story', which was carrying 31 tourists and 13 unit members, was hit by a ample question adjacent Marsa Alam successful southeastern Egypt.

The catastrophe claimed 4 lives and 7 radical stay missing, including 2 British divers.

Lucianna Galetta, from Belgium, who was 1 of the survivors, was trapped successful the sinking vessel for 35 hours.

Speaking to BBC News through tears, she said: 'I was acceptable to dice to beryllium honest. 

'It's precise weird to beryllium live compared to the others. I was much acceptable to dice than to beryllium live and surviving similar this now.'

She had been connected the vessel with her spouse Christophe Lemmens and the mates survived aft finding an aerial pouch successful the motor country astatine the rear of the vessel, which was inactive sticking retired of the water.

Lucianna and Christophe ended up sitting successful the country portion they waited to beryllium rescued and were aboriginal joined by dive teacher Youssef al-Faramawy.

Although she was 'very happy' to perceive a rescue chopper astir 8 hours aft the vessel capsized, Lucianna says they had to hold a further 27 earlier receiving help.

She added: 'We had nary connection with the outside, nothing. No 1 tried to spot if determination was idiosyncratic live successful there.'

The trio ended up being rescued by al-Faramawy's uncle Khattab al-Faramawi, a section Egyptian diving instructor.

Lucianna added: 'We waited 35 hours. I don't recognize however determination are nary divers connected the Egyptian subject boats.'

The incidental occurred during unsmooth upwind conditions, with the Egyptian Red Sea Ports Authority reporting question heights of 10-13 feet and upwind speeds of 34 knots successful the area, starring to the closure of maritime traffic.

The vessel departed connected a diving travel from the larboard of Ghalib successful Marsa Alam connected November 24 and was scheduled to get astatine Hurghada Marina connected November 29. 

However, the vessel ne'er made the travel and tilted to its broadside astir 3am erstwhile astir passengers were sleeping successful their cabins.  

Fellow subsister Hissora Gonzalez, from Spain, told the BBC however the ship's rocking stopped her from sleeping that night.

When the motor died and the yacht tilted to the side, Hissora recalled however each the lights went retired - and she couldn't archer if she was walking connected the ship's 'floor oregon ceiling'. 

Another survivor, Dr Sarah Martin, from the UK, said that she remembered feeling acrophobic astir the size of the waves earlier the disaster.

When they asked the unit if this was 'normal' weather, Dr Martin said they responded with 'shrugs'.  

She added: 'We didn't realise the information that we were in.'

After the vessel tilted, Sarah and Hissora headed for the exigency exit astatine the beforehand of the boat.

To marque their escape, the brace had to ascent implicit doorway frames and beams, which they recovered 'quite disorienting'.

The brace jumped into the freezing acold h2o without immoderate beingness jackets due to the fact that they disquieted the vessel would wholly sink. 

Sarah added: 'I thought if the vessel was going down we needed to get distant from it truthful that it didn't propulsion america down with it.'

Recalling the terror, Hissora described however the existent was 'very strong' and her person Chris 'got swept away'. 

One of the instructors Natalia swam backmost to the vessel to look for anyone other and she could perceive screaming from a cabin. 

She swam to the compartment model and tried to interruption it with debris but was unsuccessful. 

Despite section authorities suggesting that waves had been to blame, 11 radical who survived the catastrophe told the BBC that they deliberation 'crew error' and 'safety failings' by the circuit operator, Dive Pro Liveaboard, could person contributed to the sinking. 

Although the h2o felt 'very rough' erstwhile they were inactive connected committee the boat, Dr Martin said it didn't consciousness 'extremely stormy' oregon incapable to aquatics successful it. 

Dr Simon Boxall, Oceanographer from the University of Southampton, said: 'I've had a look astatine the disposable information for that portion for upwind conditions and there's nary mode that a ample question would person origin the vas to capsize.

'That truly past boils down to 2 options either aviator mistake oregon successful this lawsuit a navigator mistake oregon an mistake successful the plan of the vessel, the chances are it could beryllium a operation of both.'

The BBC reached retired to the steadfast that operates the yacht, Dive Pro liveaboard, aggregate times to get their effect to the survivors claims but they ne'er got backmost to them.

Red Sea politician Amr Hanafi said it capsized 'suddenly and rapidly within 5-7 minutes' of the interaction with the wave, leaving immoderate passengers incapable to acceptable retired of their cabins successful time.

Rescuers from the subject and a passing tourer vessel pulled 28 radical from the water. Hanafi said the vessel had passed its past information inspection successful March 2024, with nary method issues reported. 

The boat, owned by an Egyptian national, was 34 meters agelong and had received a one-year information certificate from the Maritime Safety Authority.

Ship tracking website Marine Traffic showed the past determination shared by the vessel arsenic determination disconnected Hurghada.

The Sea Story is simply a 144ft, four-deck pleasance trade built successful 2022, which tin transportation up to 36 passengers.

The vessel has a full of 18 duplicate cabins with en-suite bathrooms connected board, which are utilized for tourists connected diving trips hoping to research the Red Sea reefs.