Key points
- Two minors were among the six tourists who died.
- The submarine sank from the Hurghada Tourist Center.
- Authorities say no one is missing.
Six Russian tourists, including two minors, died on Thursday when a submarine that transported dozens of passengers sank from an important tourist city on the Red Sea coast of Egypt.
The governor of the Red Sea region of Egypt, AMR Hanafi, said that “39 foreign tourists had been rescued and six others killed, with no one missing,” according to a statement shared by his office, confirming that the six tourists were Russians.
Russian state news agencies cited Consul General Viktor Voropaev saying that two of the deceased were minor.
The Russian Consulate in the Tourist Center of Hurghada said that the boat had taken “45 tourists, including minors” on an underwater excursion to observe the coral reefs when “it crashed 1 kilometer from the shore” to approximately 10 am
Hanafi’s office said the boat had 45 tourists “of different nationalities, including Russian, Indian, Norwegian and Swedish members” and five members of the Egyptian crew.
In November, a diving boat overturned on the coast of Marsa Alam, south of Hurghada, leaving four dead and seven missing. Fountain: Getty / Mark males
The Sindbad Submarinos website, the owner of the boat, according to the Russian Consulate, said it could transport 44 passengers and two crew members up to 25 meters deep.
The Consulate said that according to the initial information, “most of those on board were rescued and taken to their hotels and hospitals in Hurghada.”
The investigations were underway to determine the cause of the accident, said the governor’s office, added that 21 ambulances had been sent.
The submarine “had a valid license and its crew leader had the required academic grades,” they added.
“Six people fought underwater and we could get them,” said a syndbad employee to the governor at the hospital, according to a video shared by the governor’s office.
Four survivors, including at least one minor, were admitted in intensive care, according to the official statement.
Hurghada, a tourist city of approximately 400 kmsoutheast of the Egyptian capital El Cairo, is an important destination for visitors to Egypt, and its airport received more than nine million passengers last year, according to state media.
While dozens of tourist boats navigate daily through the area for snorkeling and diving activities, Sindbad Submarines says it displays the “real” recreational submarine of the region.
The ship had been operational in the area for several years, according to a source familiar with the company.
The Red Sea coral reefs and the islands off the eastern coast of Egypt are important draws, which contribute to the country’s tourism sector, which uses two million people and generates more than 10 percent of GDP.
The area has been the site of several fatal accidents in recent years.
