Egyptian authorities says 16 people are missing after a tourist boat sinks in the Red Sea
According to the local administration, a tourist boat sank off the Red Sea coast of Egypt, leaving 16 people—12 of them were foreigners—missing.
The Red Sea Governorate stated in a statement that the vessel, Sea Story, sunk on Monday close to the town of Marsa Alam, carrying 44 persons on a multi-day diving vacation, including 13 staff members and 31 holidaymakers of various countries.
With 31 tourists and 13 staff members on board, the diving excursion ship Sea Story sailed off Wadi el Gemal National Park on Saturday for a multi-night dive expedition. The forecast for Sunday night called for rough weather. Egypt's Red Sea Governate reported that Sea Story had an exceptionally high wave at around 0530 hours on Monday. After making a distress call, it sank. In five or seven minutes, the ship sank. First responders, including the Egyptian Navy ship El Fateh, pulled 28 people out of the ocean.
Search and rescue efforts are underway for the 16 persons who are still missing, 12 of them are international nationals. Along with people from the United Kingdom, China, Finland, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, and Switzerland, the ship also transported nationals of the United States, Belgium, Spain, and Germany.
"Immediately, authorities informed the Naval Base and the Armed Forces, where search and rescue teams began operations using a helicopter and a marine unit moving from Bernice Harbor towards the rescue site," the Red Sea Governorate explained in a Facebook post.
"The Control Center and Operations Room continue to coordinate and follow up around the clock to ensure all necessary actions are taken and situation is reassured."
The number of fatalities has not yet been formally disclosed, and the search is still underway.
Built in 2022, Sea Story was a 150-foot diving ship registered in Egypt. It had a wooden hull, 18 cabins that could accommodate up to 36 people, a nitrox system, and diving compressors. Of the three vessels in the local operator's fleet, all of which were stationed in Hurghada, it was the biggest.
