Seventeen missing after tourist boat sinks in Red Sea

Egyptian authorities say 17 people are missing, including foreigners, and 28 have been rescued after a tourist boat sank in the Red Sea.

Two of those missing are British, the BBC understands. Finland has also confirmed one of their nationals is also unaccounted for, as rescuers continue to search the area.

The boat with 31 tourists and 14 crew – who were all Egyptians – sent a distress signal at 05:30 (03:30 GMT), according to the governor of Red Sea province.

Authorities have not indicated the possible cause of the incident.

The Sea Story left port near Marsa Alam on Sunday for a five-day diving trip, according to officials.

Red Sea Governor Maj-Gen Amr Hanafi said the survivors were found in the Wadi el-Gemal area, south of Marsa Alam, and that they were receiving the necessary medical care.

Hanafi added that the Egyptian Navy warship El Fateh and military aircraft were intensifying their efforts to locate the missing.

“Intensive search operations are underway in coordination with the navy and the armed forces,” he said.

On Saturday, the Egyptian Meteorological Authority forecasted turbulence on the Mediterranean and Red Seas due to the weather, and warned people against marine activities on Sunday and Monday.

Wind speeds were between 60-70 km/h, and wave heights were three to four metres high.

According to the local council in Marsa Alam, the crew of the Sea Story are all Egyptians and the tourists on board included five Spanish, four British, four Germans and two US nationals.

It is unclear who is among the rescued and who is still missing.

The Finnish foreign ministry confirmed to AFP news agency that one of its nationals is also among the missing.

A British Foreign Office spokesperson said they were in contact with the authorities, and were providing “support to a number of British nationals and their families following an incident in Egypt”.

The Chinese embassy in Egypt confirmed two of its nationals were “in good health” after being rescued, according to their state media, as reported by AFP.

Meanwhile, Polish foreign ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski, said authorities had information that two Polish citizens may have been aboard the boat, AFP added.

Marsa Alam is a popular destination for tourists on Egypt’s southern Red Sea coast and is surrounded by diving spots, including renowned coral reefs.

A staff member of a diving resort close to the rescue operation told AFP that a rescued crew member said they were “hit by a wave in the middle of the night, throwing the vessel on its side”.

There was no immediate comment from Sea Story’s Egypt-based owner and operator, Dive Pro Liveaboard.

But its website says the vessel was built in 2022 and is 44m (144ft) long. It has four decks and 18 cabins that can accommodate up to 36 passengers.

Last year, three Britons died off the coast of Marsa Alam after their dive boat caught fire.