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Egypt tourist boat latest: Diver reveals survivors pulled from cabins 40 feet underwater on sunken yacht

Two Britons are still unaccounted for after a yacht sunk in Egypt’s Red Sea

Alex Croft,Jabed Ahmed
Thursday 28 November 2024 06:26 GMT
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Rescuers help survivors of boat sunk off Red Sea coast as two Britons feared missing

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A diver has revealed that survivors were “trapped inside the boat cabins” of the sunken Egyptian vessel in the Red Sea.

The Sea Story boat capsized with 44 people onboard early on Monday morning. While 28 people were rescued on Monday and five on Tuesday, the authorities have recovered four bodies.

Seven people remain missing with the search efforts still underway, the Egyptian military spokesman said. Two Britons who were on the boat are yet to be accounted for, and it is not clear whether they are among the dead - who have not been identified - or remain missing.

According to diver Khattab al-Faramawy, the yacht is largely submerged with just half a metre poking above water.

“We dived 12m (40ft) under water - the survivors were trapped inside the boat cabins,” he told the BBC on Wednesday. It was a “complicated mission” as they had to “find our way into the darkness”.

One of the people Mr al-Faramaway rescued was his nephew, who got locked in one of the cabins while he was trying to save the passengers on board.

In pictures: Survivors brought to safety

(Red Sea Governorate/AFP/Getty)
(Red Sea governor’s office/AFP vi)
(Sky News)
Alex Croft27 November 2024 23:34

Capsized vessel had enough escape rafts for 50 people

The capsized Sea Story vessel had enough “safety rafts” for everyone on board the boat, its specifications show.

On the Dive Pro Liveaboard website, the company which owns and operates the boat, Sea Story is listed with “two safety rafts for 25 persons each”. There were 44 people on board the boat.

But according to Red Sea regional governor Amr Hanafi, some people were stuck in their cabins when a huge wave struck the boat and it began to capsize.

The website says that each cabin had life jackets inside.

The four-deck boat has 18 twin cabins, a lounge, and a bar. It is 44 meters long and 9 meters wide, the specifications add.

Alex Croft27 November 2024 22:47

Egypt tourist yacht survivors gather after boat sinks in Red Sea

Egypt tourist yacht survivors gather after boat sinks in Red Sea
Alex Croft27 November 2024 21:56

Is the Red Sea a dangerous part of the world for shipping?

Not especially – except for Houthi activity – but there can be some intense thunderstorms.

The worst maritime disaster in the Red Sea occurred in 2006, when a ferry from Duba in Saudi Arabia to Safaga in Egypt sank after a fire on board and subsequent efforts to extinguish it. Around 1,000 passengers lost their lives, with bad weather thought to have contributed to the appallingly high death toll.

The Foreign Office warns: “Overcrowding and poor safety standards have caused accidents on Red Sea ferries and Nile cruises.”

In June 2023 three British tourists died in a fire aboard another dive boat, Hurricane, close to the spot Sea Story sank.

Alex Croft27 November 2024 21:08

What is the best advice for someone considering a diving holiday in Egypt?

Egypt has a much higher risk level than the UK, so the whole journey should be considered. The Foreign Office says: “[Road accidents are common because of poor road conditions, dangerous driving and poor traffic law enforcement.

“Serious bus crashes in recent years have caused many deaths, including tourists.

“There have also been fatal train collisions and derailments.”

The best protection is afforded by booking a proper package (flights, accommodation and activities) through a UK operator, who do all they can to ensure it is a safe experience. But ultimately safety standards are not up to British standards.

Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent27 November 2024 20:18

What was this vessel doing and what do we know about the boat?

Sea Story was a liveaboard diving boat, based near the Red Sea port of Marsa Alam. She is one of dozens of similar vessels that take divers out to some of the most exciting underwater locations on the planet – with reefs, wrecks and colourful fish.

For a week’s voyage with the dive operator, Dive Pro Liveaboard, you would pay €1,220 (just over £1,000) and enjoy three or four dives per day.

Sea Story was kitted out with 16 double cabins, so room for 32 divers, and a usual crew of 12 – eight seafarers and four kitchen staff. She was very modern, built in 2022. The operator, Dive Pro Liveaboard, says it is “locally owned and operating from the heart of Hurghada” – a Red Sea resort popular with British travellers.

The Red Sea governorate said the boat had passed a safety inspection in March 2024.

Alex Croft27 November 2024 19:28

Pictured: Sea Story vessel

The 144-foot two-engine Sea Story vessel was built in 2022 and is registered in Safaga, Egypt, according to the boat’s owner.

Owned by tourist company Dive pro Liveaboard, the boat has space for 36 passengers and 12 crew members including a captain, cooks, waiters and sailors.

At the time it sank, it was carrying 44 people. This included 31 tourists and 13 crew members, according to the Red Sea governornate.

It carried safety jackets in each cabin and two 25-person safety rafts, according to Dive pro Liveaboard’s website.

(Dive Pro LIve Aboard)
Alex Croft27 November 2024 18:40

Chinese and Polish nationals declared safe

The Chinese embassy in Egypt said Monday two of its nationals were “in good health” after being “rescued in the cruise ship sinking accident in the Red Sea”, Chinese state media reported.

Pawel Wronski, the Polish foreign ministry spokesman, said authorities “have information that two of the tourists may have had Polish citizenship”.

“That’s all we know about them. That’s all we can say for now,” he said. The Finnish foreign ministry confirmed one of its nationals is missing.

Alex Croft27 November 2024 17:55

All you need to know

Everything we know so far

Here’s all you need to know about the boat which capsized in the Red Sea on Monday:

  • Sea Story, an Egyptian-owned boat, had set sail from Porto Ghalib on a five-day diving trip, carrying 31 tourists and 13 crew.
  • This was despite warnings by the Egyptian Meteorological Authority on Saturday, advising against maritime activity on Sunday and Monday.
  • At 5:30am on Monday, the ship sent out a distress signal, sparking a major rescue effort led by an Egyptian navy warship El Fateh and military aircraft.
  • Survivors report that the boat was hit by a huge wave. Wave heights of 3-4 meters (10-13 feet) and wind speeds of 34 knots were reported in the area on Sunday by the Egyptian Red Sea Ports Authority.
  • The boat capsized within five to seven minutes. Some people were reportedly in their cabins at the time the wave hit. It sank off the popular tourist destination of Marsa Alam.
  • By the end of Monday, 28 people had been rescued and 16 people remained missing, including two Brits. Tourists on the boat included nationals from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain and Ireland.
  • A technical defect on the boat was ruled out by the Red Sea region’s governor, Amr Hanafi, who said all the necessary safety permits had been obtained.
  • Embassies from around the world confirmed on Monday that they were offering consular assistance following the incident.
  • On Tuesday, four bodies were recovered and five more people were rescued, bringing the total of survivors to 33.
  • As of Wednesday afternoon, the search for seven remaining missing people goes on.
Alex Croft27 November 2024 17:13

Full report: Survivors of sunken Red Sea yacht spent a day trapped in cabins underwater, diver reveals

Red Sea yacht survivors trapped in cabins underwater for a day

Two Britons who were on the boat remain unaccounted for

Jabed Ahmed27 November 2024 17:00

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