Breaking News this Morning, Egypt Tragic Boat Fire claims life of 3 british Divers.
Following their decision not to participate in a scuba trip that morning, three British divers tragically lost their lives in a horrific boat fire off the coast of Egypt.
The incident led to a large-scale rescue operation conducted by Egyptian emergency services as the devastating blaze engulfed the Red Sea on Sunday.
Scuba Travel, the tour operator responsible for the diving tour that the British divers were participating in, sadly confirmed the deaths of the three individuals.
In their official statement, the company expressed deep regret and sorrow, acknowledging that the three-valued dive guests, who had not attended the dive briefing on the morning of June 11, tragically perished in the incident.
The tour operator extended their sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the deceased.
Although the names of the three passengers have not been disclosed, Scuba Travel mentioned that they were qualified divers.
Continuing with their statement, Scuba Travel further elaborated on the situation:
“At the time the fire broke out, 12 divers were participating in a briefing on board, while those missing had apparently decided not to dive that morning.
Breaking News: Egypt Tragic Boat Fire
The severity of the fire meant that the 12 divers were immediately evacuated by rib to another craft nearby, and the 14 crew members, including the captain and two dive guides, who had made efforts to reach the missing guests, were also compelled to abandon the ship and were rescued by rib.”
Following the alarming situation, a rescue crew was observed approaching in a dinghy while the remaining passengers jumped into the water to ensure their safety.
One individual appeared to be extremely fearful, clinging to the side of the boat with just his fingertips.
As reports of the boat named “Hurricane” catching fire due to an electrical circuit malfunction in the engine room emerged, rescue services were promptly notified.
According to the Red Sea Governate of Egypt, 12 crew members and 12 British tourists were successfully rescued near the southern Red Sea resort town of Marsa Alam.
Thankfully, the rescued crew members suffered no injuries and were taken ashore in good health.
Regrettably, the search for the three British tourists ended with the confirmation of their tragic demise.
A spokesperson for Tornado Marine Fleet, the company that owns the boat, provided details at the time, stating, “Today at 6.30am at Elphinstone, while doing the diving briefing, Hurricane caught fire.
We do have three missing British passengers, and all others have reached the nearest land safely.
The Developing Story
Now we are bringing the boat back to the marina under authority supervision.
” The boat originally departed from Port Ghalib in the eastern city of Marsa Alam on June 6 and was scheduled to return on the day of the incident.
Ahmed Maher, a diving manager at Marsa Shagra village, shared his account, saying, “We saw smoke from the boat, it was around 9km from the beach.
A nearby boat rescued them and dropped them off.” Those who were rescued from the water were taken to the nearby diving resort of Marsa Shagra for their safety.
The Foreign Office is providing support to other British individuals involved in this distressing incident.
A spokesperson affirmed, “We are in contact with local authorities following an incident aboard a dive boat near Marsa Alam and are providing assistance to the affected British nationals.”
Fatal boat accidents are rare in Egypt.
However, in 2021, a boat capsized in a lake near the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least five individuals, including three children.
Another devastating incident occurred in 1991 when the Egyptian ferry, Salem Express, sank while sailing from Saudi Arabia to Egypt, claiming the lives of as many as 471 people, primarily Muslim pilgrims.
The Red Sea resorts of Egypt are well-liked by tourists from Europe and home to some of the nation’s most well-known beaches.
With convenient access to coral reefs from coastlines and dive locations that offer a variety of marine life, it has solidified its status as a dive destination.
