Four bodies and three survivors recovered from Egypt’s Red Sea boat sinking

Rescuers on Tuesday, November 26, recovered four bodies and three survivors a day after a diving boat capsized off of Egypt’s eastern coast, Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi said, with nine people still missing.

Among the survivors were two Belgian tourists and one Egyptian, the governor said in a statement, bringing the total number of survivors from the vessel to 31. The four dead have not yet been identified. According to the governor’s statement, rescue operations continued Tuesday for “nine more missing.”

The vessel was carrying 31 tourists of multiple nationalities and a 13-member crew when it was hit by a large wave early on Monday, leading it to capsize near Marsa Alam in southeastern Egypt.

The “Sea Story” had embarked on a multi-day diving trip on Sunday and had been due to dock on Friday at the town of Hurghada, 200 kilometers north.

The governor on Monday said the boat had sunk within 5-7 minutes of its impact with the wave, leaving some passengers – who included European, Chinese and American tourists unable to escape their cabins in time.