Three found alive after tour boat capsizes off Egypt’s Red Sea

Two Belgian nationals and one Egyptian citizen have been rescued on Tuesday after a tourist boat capsized off Egypt’s Red Sea Coast, as search and rescue efforts continue for the second day for 10 missing tourists.

Local news outlets, meanwhile, reported, citing the Red Sea province Governor Amr Hanafi saying that four bodies among the previously missing have been recovered.

The medical conditions of the survivors remain unclear, nor their identities has been made public. 

Earlier reports said on Monday evening that a total of 17 people of several nationalities were missing, including two British nationals. 

The Sea Story, a tourist yacht, was carrying 31 tourists of different nationalities and 14 crew members when it reportedly went down under the Red Sea waters early Monday, soon after setting sail for a five-day cruise.

Rescue workers managed, with the support of Egyptian Navy and Air Force, to rescue 28 people after the yacht sank during a diving trip, which took off from Porto Ghalib Marina, south of Marsa Alam, in south-eastern Egypt a day earlier.

The yacht was scheduled to return to Hurghada Marina on Monday and to port on Friday, but a distress signal was sent from the boat at about 5:30 a.m. Cairo Local Time (3.30 a.m. GMT) on Monday.

According to the witnesses’ accounts, the boat was struck by high waves and sank in 5–7 minutes. Passengers and crew members who managed to leave their cabins in time were later rescued.

In statements to reporters on the scene following the incident, Hanafi ruled out technical glitches that may have caused the incident, confirming that “the boat had passed its last annual maritime safety inspection in March 2024.” 

The incident coincided with unstable weather conditions occurring about 48 hours earlier. 

The Egyptian Red Sea Ports Authority reported wave heights of 3–4 meters (10–13 feet) and wind speeds of 34 knots in the area on Sunday, leading to the closure of maritime traffic.

The Egyptian Meteorological Authority had earlier forecasted turbulence in the Mediterranean and Red seas, recommending that all maritime activities be suspended on Sunday and Monday.

The local prosecution office opened an investigation into the incident, asking for official documents and licences related to the boat trip and routes and details of the crew members and passengers. Investigators also listened to the survivors’ accounts about the incident’s details and circumstances.

Dozens of diving boats make daily trips between coral reefs and islands off Egypt’s Red Sea coast amid arguably questionable safety precautions.

Earlier this month, 30 people survived a sinking boat near the Red Sea’s Deadalus reef. Last year, three British tourists died when a fire erupted on board a yacht also near the Red Sea.

Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, including Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, are some of the country’s major beach destinations and are popular with European tourists. 

Tourism is a significant source of Egypt’s national income and foreign currency. In 2023, the sector contributed about 24 percent of the country’s GDP and nearly 8.1 percent of its economy.