Five More Survivors Found After Red Sea Shipwreck



Rescue teams found five survivors and recovered four bodies on Tuesday, a day after a tourist boat sank off the east coast of Egypt, with seven people still missing, Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi said.


A search and rescue team led by the army found two Belgians, a Swiss, a Finnish tourist and an Egyptian, the governor said, bringing the total number of survivors to 33.


The four dead have not yet been identified and seven people remain missing.


According to a government source close to the rescue operations, the five survivors and four bodies were found this morning inside the boat, which was overturned on its side after a violent wave in the middle of the night, without sinking completely.


The survivors "were found in a room that was not filled with water", the same source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to Agence France-Presse (AFP), said.


The surviving group spent at least 24 hours on the capsized vessel after authorities received the first distress signals at 5:30 a.m. (03:30 GMT) on Monday.


"Rescue operations continued today, with the support of a military helicopter and a frigate, as well as several divers," Hanafi told AFP.


The boat was carrying 31 tourists of different nationalities, as well as 13 crew members, when it was hit by a large wave in the early hours of Monday that caused it to capsize near Marsa Alam, in southeastern Egypt.


The Sea Story set off from Port Ghalib, near Marsa Alam, on Sunday for a multi-day diving expedition. It was due to arrive in Hurghada, 200 kilometres (125 miles) further north, on Friday.


The governor of the Red Sea region had explained on Monday that the boat sank "suddenly and quickly within 5 to 7 minutes" after being hit by the wave.


Some passengers were unable to escape from their cabins in time. According to local authorities, the boat was carrying tourists from Belgium, the United Kingdom, China, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.


Army rescue teams and a nearby tourist boat rescued 28 people on Monday.


According to a hospital source in Marsa Alam, six tourists and three Egyptians were admitted with minor injuries and were discharged on Monday.


Authorities said the boat was fully serviceable and had passed all checks. A preliminary investigation revealed no technical faults.


The accident is at least the third of its kind reported this year near Marsa Alam.


The tourism sector contributes more than 10% of Egypt's GDP, where the Red Sea, one of the country's top tourist destinations, attracts millions of visitors each year.


Every day, dozens of dive boats explore the coral reefs and islands off Egypt's eastern coast, where strict safety rules are unevenly enforced.