Three British nationals, previously declared by Egyptian authorities gone missing after a scuba diving boat they were cruising in caught fire off Egypt’s Red Sea, were reportedly dead.
The Arab World news agency quoted Mustafa Droub, the owner of a diving center in Marsa Alam and who had participated in the rescue operations on Sunday, as saying that the three British nationals died in the burning ship.
“All the tourists on board were planning to dive early on Sunday. They informed the guides accompanying them to wake them up in the morning,” Droub stated.
However, the three British victims asked not to be woken up because they did not wish to accompany the other tourists.
When the boat caught fire, some tourists jumped from the boat and others remained on board. When the rescue boats arrived, they saved all the tourists while the three British remained sleeping in the bedroom, he said.
Droub explained that the fire was worsened by the explosion of diving oxygen tubes.
Earlier, in a short statement, Egypt's Red Sea Governate said 12 crew members and 12 British tourists were rescued when a medium-sized scuba diving boat, christened “Hurricane,” went up in flames off the southern Red Sea resort town of Marsa Alam.
The vessel carried 15 British passengers, 10 crew members and two guides.
A search party was launched to find the remaining three British tourists whose identities were not revealed.
Initial investigation showed that the fire was likely caused by a short circuit in the boat's engine room, according to the statement
Maj. Gen. Mohammed Bandari, secretary of the Red Sea Governorate, said the motor yacht departed on June 6 from Port Ghalib Marina and was scheduled to return on Sunday.
He said the fire in the boat was reported while the vessel was reaching the Elphinstone region, 25 km north of Marsa Alam.
“The crew and passengers were rescued by the boat named Blue and returned to central Marsa Alam,” Bandari explained, adding that a search is still under way for three British passengers by the concerned authorities and other boats.
The fire occurred as the coasts of the Red Sea Governorate saw a gradual return of marine activities following a short closure that began last Friday, after a shark killed a Russian citizen in Hurghada on Thursday.
