Egyptian authorities said on Tuesday that eight more people had been found after a tourist boat carrying a diving group sank off the Red Sea coast early last morning. Four more people were found alive – two Belgians, an Egyptian and a Swiss – bringing the total number of people rescued from the capsized luxury yacht to 32.
Four others were found dead, Red Sea authorities said Tuesday, and eight people were still missing during an ongoing search operation.
The Red Sea Governorate initially said there were 45 people on the boat, but later lowered the number to 44, including the 13 crew members and 31 tourists of different nationalities.
A file photo shared online by Egypt’s Red Sea Governorate shows the luxury yacht Sea Story, which authorities said capsized in the early morning of November 25, 2024. / Credit: Red Sea Governate/Facebook
The luxury yacht Sea Story capsized early Monday morning after leaving Sunday from Port Ghalib Marina, near Marsa Alam on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, for a diving trip that was supposed to last until Friday, when the boat was supposed to dock in Hurghada.
The Red Sea Regional Control Center received a distress signal from a member of Sea Story’s crew at 5:30 a.m. local time on Monday, regional authorities said in a statement, and search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the site.
Red Sea Governor Major General Amr Hanafi said some of the survivors were flown from the site for medical treatment, while the remaining survivors were assisted on rescue ships until a military frigate arrived to transport them back to shore .
A man rescued from the capsized yacht Sea Story off Egypt’s Red Sea coast is assisted by rescuers on November 25, 2024, in a Red Sea government image. /Credit: Red Sea Government/Facebook
The governor said military aircraft and naval units were still searching for the 16 missing people Monday and survivors were receiving medical care as needed.
The cause of the accident and the nationalities of the victims had not yet been confirmed in Egypt on Monday afternoon. Hanafi said the boat was inspected in March and there were no problems; the boat was licensed for one year.
According to The Associated Press, Egypt’s Meteorological Authority had warned that high seas were expected in the Red Sea on Sunday and Monday, and maritime activity was advised against on both days.
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