Fate of seven tourists unclear after Egypt’s Red Sea incident

Intensive search and rescue operations continued for the third consecutive day as the fate of seven missing people, including two British nationals, is still pending after a tourist yacht capsized in Egypt’s Red Sea Coast earlier on Monday.

As of late Tuesday, five people, including an Egyptian, two Belgian nationals, one Swiss citizen, and a Finnish national, were rescued, bringing the total number of survivors to 33, while four unidentified bodies were recovered.

“I really appreciate it, the reception on the boat with a warm shower, the dinner after, and all the care they took because we were shaking with cold, and shaking…they warmed us up,” one survivor said in a video.

The Egyptian survivor was seen in the same clip, circulated by local and international media outlets, wrapped in a blanket and carried by paramedics on a stretcher.  

It remains unclear how many hours they stayed missing until they were rescued. Neither are their medical conditions nor possible injuries. 

Local rescue workers, supported by the Egyptian Navy and Air Force, had earlier on Monday managed to rescue 28 people after “the Sea Story,” a tourist yacht, sank during a diving trip.

The yacht, carrying 31 international tourists and 13 local crew members, was scheduled to return to Hurghada Marina on Monday and to port on Friday. However, a distress signal was sent from the boat at about 5:30 a.m. Cairo Local Time (3.30 a.m. GMT) on Monday.

Local media outlets reported on Tuesday evening that Monday’s survivors had already been discharged from nearby hospitals after receiving the necessary medical care.

Unstable weather conditions

The Red Sea province governor, Amr Hanafi, ruled out technical glitches that may have triggered the incident, confirming in press statements that “the boat had passed its last annual maritime safety inspection in March 2024.” 

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

The incident coincided with unstable weather conditions across the country. The Egyptian Meteorological Authority forecasted turbulence in the Mediterranean and Red seas and recommended that all maritime activities be suspended on Sunday and Monday.

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.

Officials, however, justified the situation in statements to local news outlets, alleging the boat had already taken off before the warning.

The local prosecution office, meanwhile, has launched an investigation into the incident as investigators listened to the testimonies of the survivors.  No official statements have yet been released on any findings till the publication time.  

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.
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