Three Britons missing after fire on Egyptian boat in Red Sea

Authorities said an electrical short circuit in the engine room had caused the blaze

A rescue boat sails beside a tourist motor boat as it is engulfed by flames near the Egyptian town of Marsa Alam. Reuters

Three Britons are missing after a motor boat caught fire off Egypt’s Red Sea coastline on Sunday.

The fire broke out on the motor boat, called Hurricane, which was carrying 29 people, including 15 British tourists, authorities in Marsa Alam town said.

Twelve tourists from the UK and 14 Egyptians were rescued, all unharmed, officials said.

Pictures posted online showed the vessel engulfed in flames. The search for the missing continues.

Egyptian authorities said an electrical short circuit in the boat’s engine room had caused the blaze.

Britain’s Foreign Office said it was in contact with Egyptian authorities and was “supporting the British nationals involved”.

The boat caught fire at about 9am on Sunday morning in the Elphistone region of the Red Sea, about 25km north of Marsa Alam.

The blaze comes a few days after beaches were closed in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada after a Russian man was killed in a shark attack.

The tiger shark was found on Friday and is being examined by marine experts.

Authorities ordered all water activities to be suspended for 48 hours from Friday morning on a 60km stretch of coastline from the resort of El Gouna to Soma Bay.