Egypt never ceases to amaze with tragic news related to vacationers. The next link in the chain of adventures over the past few days was a fire on a tourist boat off the coast of Egypt, as a result of which three people went missing, the rest were rescued. The incident happened last Sunday when the vessel was transporting divers to the diving site.
According to detailed information from The Guardian, 15 British citizens, 12 crew members, and 2 guides were on board the tourist vessel named “Hurricane”. Only 12 travelers, 12 Egyptian boat crew members, and guides were able to be rescued and brought to safety at the Marsa Shagra diving resort (about 21 km north of Marsa Alam). Three Britons could not be found.
According to a statement from Tornado Marine Fleet, which operates the boat, the accident happened near Elphinstone, a reef 12km offshore known as a popular shark diving spot. During the diving instruction on Sunday morning, “Hurricane” (translated from English as “hurricane”) caught fire.
Pictures published on social networks show a white motor yacht burning in the sea, and thick smoke rising into the sky. “We saw smoke from the boat, it was about 9km from the beach,” said Ahmed Maher, diving manager at Marsa Shagra village. “The nearest boat rescued them and landed them on land.”
A preliminary investigation by Egyptian authorities found that the fire started in the boat’s engine room at 6:30 a.m. due to a short circuit in the electrical wiring. It is known that the boat started taking tourists on sea trips on June 6.
The Egyptian Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the incident. At the same time, a search operation is underway to identify the three remaining British tourists. In response to the tragedy, a UK Foreign and Development Office spokesperson said: “We are in contact with local authorities following the incident on board a diving vessel near Mars Alam and are supporting the British nationals involved.”
In general, fatal boating accidents are rare in Egypt. However, they are. For example, in 2021, five people, including three children, died when a boat capsized in a lake near the city of Alexandria.
A fresh example of NP. In April, the Egyptian navy rescued 37 people from a tourist boat that capsized in the Red Sea. All the victims were given medical aid, but no deaths were reported.