At least six people are reported dead, and nine others, four of whom are in critical condition, are receiving medical care after a tourist submarine with 45 people on board sank Thursday morning off the coast of the Egyptian resort town of Hurghada on the Red Sea. The Russian Embassy in Egypt announced that all tourists on board were Russian.
Six people died when a tourist submarine sank in Hurghada, on the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea. Another 29 people were rescued. The injured, including four in critical condition, have been transferred to nearby hospitals, as reported by BBC.
The incident involving the tourist submarine Sindbad took place about a kilometer from the shore, near the leisure port of the hotel with the same name. The 45 passengers on board had set out on a sea excursion to see coral reefs and tropical fish.
The Russian Embassy in Egypt announced that all tourists on the submarine were Russian, including children. "On March 27, around 10:00, the Sindbad tender, owned by the hotel of the same name, sank 1 km from the shore. (…) In addition to the crew, there were 45 tourists on board, including minors. Most of those on board were rescued and taken to hotels and hospitals in Hurghada. Their health condition is not a cause for concern. Four people died. The fate of several tourists is being clarified," the Russian Embassy in Cairo conveyed to NBC News.
However, the Hurghada Governorate Office stated to Reuters that six foreigners died, with BBC and Sky News mentioning the same figure.
For several years, Sindbad has been conducting tourist excursions in the Hurghada area, a popular tourist destination known for its beaches and coral reefs.
The company Sindbad Submarines states that it owns two of the only "14 real pleasure submarines" in the world.
The Sindbad submarine can dive to depths of up to 25 meters. "It offers 44 passenger seats - two for pilots and a considerable viewing round window for each passenger," the company's website states.
This is not the first incident involving tourist boats in Hurghada.
In November, a tourist boat named Sea Story sank, resulting in 11 deaths or missing persons - including a British couple - and 35 survivors.
Egyptian authorities attributed the disaster to a giant wave of up to four meters, but BBC interviewed survivors who said there were safety issues.
Investigators from the UK stated last month that there have been 16 incidents in the area in the past five years, some resulting in fatalities.