Sea Story sinking: Four bodies, five more survivors found after tourist boat tragedy off Egypt's Red Sea coast

Fears for seven people still missing after governor says many were in cabins when vessel capsized

Rescuers transport a survivor after the yacht sank off the coast of Marsa Alam. Egyptian Press Centre via AP

Four bodies were recovered on Tuesday from a tourist yacht that sank off Egypt's Red Sea coast, along with five more survivors who had spent over a day in the water, authorities said. The rescued people include a Swiss national, two Belgians and an Egyptian, according to a statement from the municipal government in Red Sea province.

A search operation was in its second day looking for seven people still missing. The Sea Story, carrying 44 passengers, capsized during a diving trip south of the coastal town of Marsa Alam early on Monday. Twenty-eight tourists were rescued from the water later that day and taken to hospital by helicopter, Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi said.

On Tuesday, Mr Hanafi said four bodies had been pulled from the sunken boat. The vessel had taken to the water despite a warning of high waves on the Red Sea from the Egyptian Meteorological Authority, which had advised against sailing on Sunday and Monday.

According to survivors, a “high sea wave” hit the vessel and caused it to capsize. Some passengers were inside their cabins “which is why they couldn’t get out of the boat”, the governor said. Nine survivors of foreign nationality were discharged from hospital on Tuesday, medical officials in Marsa Alam told The National.

Another 19 were still receiving treatment at the city’s One-Day Surgery Hospital and all were in a stable condition. They included Egyptians and foreign citizens.

The boat went under about 85km from shore. On board were 13 Egyptians and 31 people from Germany, Britain, the US, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain and Ireland.

In a statement to The National, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed two Swiss nationals had been on board. "The FDFA confirms that the Swiss citizen who had been missing since the boat accident in Marsa Alam, Egypt, was rescued today. A second Swiss citizen was rescued unharmed yesterday," it said.

Britain's Foreign Office said consular support was being provided to "a number of British nationals and their families". Two of its citizens remained missing, it added. Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs also said it was "providing consular assistance” without giving further details.

The Egyptian navy, with the help of a nearby tourist boat named StarGate, managed to rescue 28 passengers from the sea on Monday, Mr Hanafi said on Facebook. He said there had been no technical defect with the Egyptian-owned boat, which is 34 metres long and 9.5 metres wide. It had passed a safety inspection in March and received a one-year certificate of seaworthiness with no problems noted.

The incident has renewed concerns about Egypt's mixed record on transport safety. Despite the dangers, the country is popular with foreign tourists, particularly diving enthusiasts, who are drawn to its scenic Red Sea resorts and beaches.

On October 23, the scuba diving vessel Seaduction struck coral and sank near Elba Reef in the Red Sea near the Egypt-Sudan border, carrying 18 French divers and a crew of 10. All evacuated on to lifeboats and were rescued after drifting at sea for eight hours.

The Seaduction was the third 'liveaboard' boat to sink in the Red Sea this year, after the Exocet did so near Marsa Alam in June and the Sea Legend, which sank in February after a cabin fire. Three British tourists died in the Sea Legend tragedy. There were no casualties in the Exocet sinking.