According to the Foreign Office, consular support is being provided for “a number of British nationals and their families” after a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea near Egypt.
It’s understood that four Britons were among those on the boat south of the coastal town of Marsa Alam, with two currently unaccounted for.
The governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafi, revealed that 44 individuals were aboard the yacht, including 31 foreigners from countries such as the United States, Germany, the UK, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain and Ireland.
Out of these, 28 have been rescued, but there remain 16 people missing, including four Egyptians, as per Mr Hanafi’s update given on Monday evening.
Additionally, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed knowledge of the incident and is providing consular assistance, although no further specifics have been disclosed.
An Abta spokesperson also mentioned, “We have been in contact with our members to see if they had any customers on the ship affected by this incident.”
The emergency call was sent out from the yacht just before the break of dawn on Monday, following its departure from Marsa Alam for what was meant to be a five-day sea journey.
Mr Hanafi stated that passengers reported a “high sea wave” striking the yacht which resulted in it overturning in “about five or seven minutes”, with some passengers trapped within cabins preventing their escape, according to his statement posted on Facebook.
Mr Hanafi dismissed the possibility of a technical defect on the ship, stating that all necessary licences had been secured for The Sea Story.
Warnings of high waves on the Red Sea were issued by the Egyptian Meteorological Authority, advising against maritime activities on Sunday and Monday.
Dive Pro Liveaboard, based in the Egyptian resort of Hurghada, operated the yacht.
The company has stated it has no information regarding the incident.
Rescue operations are being managed by the Egyptian military and the Red Sea Governorate.
As part of the response, armed forces aircraft have been dispatched to the scene.
Marsa Alam is a favoured spot for tourists seeking diving holidays due to its proximity to large coral reef areas.
In June last year, three Britons tragically lost their lives when the diving boat they were aboard caught fire off Marsa Alam.
The blaze was believed to have been sparked by an electrical fault.
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