Tourist boat probably had an accident in strong waves

The boat “Sea Story” that sank off the Egyptian coast probably had an accident in heavy waves in the Red Sea. This was announced by Amr Hanafi, the governor responsible for the region, citing descriptions from the crew and tourists after the accident. A large wave hit the boat and caused it to capsize.

The multi-story “Sea Story” capsized within minutes and some passengers did not make it out of their cabins in time. The boat had no technical defects and also had all the necessary approvals including an inspection in the spring, Hanafi wrote on Facebook.

Hanafi explained that 16 of a total of 44 people on board the “Sea Story” were still missing. There was previously talk of 17 missing people out of a total of 45 people on board. As the TV station Alhadath reports, three bodies were recovered from the sunken boat.

Hanafi previously said that four Germans and two Swiss were on board, as well as around 20 vacationers from other European countries. The search for the missing people is continuing with an Egyptian military frigate and helicopters, Hanafi told dpa.

The FDFA confirmed to Watson that there were two Swiss nationals among the 31 passengers on the sunken submersible. One person was rescued and is uninjured, while the second is still missing.

Since the accident following an emergency call early Monday morning, 28 survivors have been rescued. Among other things, another tourist boat picked up some of them, Hanafi explained. “All rescued passengers are doing well,” said Hanafi, according to his statement. They stayed in a hotel in the coastal town of Marsa Alam. They are working with the help of the various embassies to get them documents for the journey home. (dpa/pin)