Video | Three previously missing British tourists confirmed dead after fire on boat in Egypt’s Red Sea

Three previously missing British tourists have been reported dead after a motor yacht caught fire in Egypt’s Red Sea, on Sunday (June 11). The deaths were confirmed a day later by a spokesperson forScuba Travel.

The British Foreign Office had previously saidthey are in contact with the local authorities after the incident and supporting thoseinvolved.

What happened?

A statement by the Red Sea governorate said, “15 English passengers, 10 members of the crew, and two tour guides” had been rescued while the search for three people missing was underway. Furthermore, the officials also said that the survivors were brought to safety in the nearby diving resort of Marsa Shagra which is about 21 kilometres from the town of Marsa Alam.

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The condition of those rescued was not immediately clear. Images and videos of the incident show a white motor yacht named ‘Hurricane’ with flames erupting from it and thick smoke billowing into the sky.

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Ahmed Maher, a diving manager at Marsa Shagra village, said “We saw smoke from the boat, it was around 9 km from the beach…A nearby boat rescued them and dropped them off.”

Kuwaiti tourist Abdulrahman A. Alsarheed, an eyewitness to the incident, as per Reuters saidflames engulfed the boat’s tail in a “matter of minutes” and said that theiryacht took 12 tourists on board along with the crew.Alsarheed was said to be on a water safari at the same time of the incident.

Three British tourists killed due to the fire

A spokesperson for Scuba Travel, the tour operator for the trip, confirmed the deaths and said “It is with great regret that we, as tour operator, with heavy hearts, must accept that three of our much-valued dive guests, perished in the tragic incident. Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to their families and friends at this very sad time.”

The spokesperson also said that the three British tourists were among the 15 “qualified diving enthusiasts” and a part of the week-long stay on board the ship when the fire broke out at about 8:30 am (local time).

“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,” said the spokesperson, in a statement. It added, given the “severity of the fire” the 12 divers present at the briefing were immediately evacuated to another boat nearby.

Do we know what caused the fire?

According to the statement from the Red Sea State governor’s office the boat which had been on a trip since June 6 in an area just north of Marsa Alam caught on fire after an electrical short circuit. The boat in question was on a six-day cruise and due back Sunday when it caught on fire some 25 kilometres north of Marsa Alam.

Egypt’s Red Sea

The Red Sea is said to be a major tourist destination in Egypt which contributes more than 10 per cent to the country’s GDP while the sector employs two million people.

Last week, a Russian tourist was killed off at one of Egypt’s Red Sea resorts after being attacked by a tiger shark in the waters near the city of Hurghada.

This incident prompted the closure of the 74 km stretch of the coastline with officialsannouncing it would remain off-limits until Sunday.Egypt’s environment ministry later said that they have caught the shark and are examining the reasons for this rare attack.

(With inputs from agencies)

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