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A boat with 31 female tourists and a crew of 13 on board sank north of Marsa Alam. Image: Adobe Stock

16 still missing after boat accident in Egypt

26.11.2024 – 06:33

16 people are still missing, including one from Switzerland, after the sinking of the tourist yacht Sea Story off the coast of Egypt. Initial investigations suggest that a sudden large wave may have caused the accident.

In Egypt, 16 people, including one person from Switzerland, are still missing after a tourist yacht sank. A second Swiss national has been rescued and is unharmed, the Swiss Foreign Ministry announced on Monday. According to the authorities in the Red Sea Governorate, twelve foreigners and four Egyptians are missing. Previously, the number of missing was reported as 17.

According to the Egyptian authorities, the ship ‘Sea Story’ set off on Sunday from the port of Port Ghalib in the Marsa Alam region on a trip lasting several days and was scheduled to arrive in Hurghada, around 200 kilometres further north, on Friday.

According to the governor's office, there were 31 tourists from several countries and 14 crew members on board. The yacht sent out a distress signal early on Monday morning.

So far, little is known about the cause of the accident. According to Governor Amr Hanafi, initial findings indicate that the ship was hit by a ‘suddenly appearing large wave’ and capsized within minutes. Some passengers were reportedly in their cabins and were unable to reach safety.

(TN)