The last two Britons to die after a diving boat caught fire in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt were named Stephen Hill and Paul Darling.
It comes after the third British victim was identified as hospice worker Christina Quinn, 58, who spent her life working for the NHS.
The three Britons were inside their cabins aboard the medium-sized diving boat, named ‘Hurricane’, when the boat caught fire on Sunday morning due to a suspected electrical fault.
Scuba Travel, which operates trips on the Hurricane, said the three tourists had decided to sleep late the morning of the fire rather than go diving with the rest of the 12 divers on board, meaning they were unable to evacuate quickly.
The tour boat company confirmed that Hill and Darling were victims of the tragedy, a day after St Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth paid tribute to its chief executive, Ms Quinn. Her colleagues said that she “will be missed beyond words.”
The last two Britons to die after a diving boat caught fire (pictured June 11) in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt have been named as Stephen Hill and Paul Darling.
It comes after the third British victim was identified as hospice worker Christina Quinn (pictured)
Britons were among 15 qualified diving enthusiasts aboard the ship for a week-long voyage when the fire broke out off the coast of Marsa Alam on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. (6:30 a.m. local time). from United Kingdom).
Egyptian authorities said at the time that 12 crew members and 12 divers were rescued, with footage showing some on board jumping from the burning ship and swimming towards the rescue ship.
Mrs. Quinn, Mr. Hill and Mr. Darling had decided to sleep over the morning of the fire. while the other divers on deck managed to escape, a Scuba Travel spokesman said.
In a statement issued by the hospice, a spokesperson for Ms Quinn said: “It is with great sadness that we confirm the tragic death of Christina Quinn in Egypt. She was a sister, daughter, wife, aunt, friend, and rock to many.
‘She will be missed beyond words. We would ask for privacy at this time.
Ms Quinn took up her role as chief executive of St Luke’s in May this year following a ‘long and impressive’ career with the NHS, most recently as head of the NHS South West Leadership Academy.
Charles Hackett, Chairman of the Trustees of St Luke’s, said: ‘Christina was incredibly passionate about St Luke’s and her place at the heart of the community she serves, and we are devastated to lose her warmth, wisdom and leadership.
The fire had broken out on the Hurricane ship off the coast of Marsa Alam.
‘Prior to her recent appointment, Christina had served six years as a volunteer chair of the board at St Luke’s, working closely with the senior management team and her fellow trustees and earning their respect, trust and appreciation.
‘With her vibrant, engaging personality and caring, down-to-earth nature, as CEO, she was quickly building strong and meaningful relationships both within and outside the organization.
“Christina will be greatly missed and our hearts go out to her family and close friends at this tragic time.”
Scuba Travel confirmed that the three British tourists had chosen not to go diving that day, meaning they were unable to quickly evacuate the burning boat.
Investigators confirmed that the three had been found on the deck of their cabins, which sources said was next to the fuel tank, after failing to escape the intense fire.
A Scuba Travel spokesperson said: “It is with a heavy heart that we as tour operators must accept with a heavy heart that three of our valued dive guests perished in the tragic incident.”
“Our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to their families and friends at this very sad time.”
The statement added: “At the time the fire broke out, 12 divers were taking part in a briefing on board, while the missing had apparently decided not to dive that morning.”
This is the heart-stopping moment passengers jump off a burning Egyptian tour boat
Footage of the fire shared on social media shows the ship turned into a floating inferno as flames engulfed its stern.
Black smoke flows from the rear of the ship as it traveled through the Elphinstone Reef in the Red Sea.
Terrified passengers are seen throwing themselves off the ship, which was carrying 29 people on board at the time, escaping the ship after an alleged electrical failure in the engine room.
In all, 26 passengers were rescued, 12 British and the other 14 believed to be Egyptian. Local police said the people rescued had no injuries and were in good health.
Egyptian authorities had previously said that an initial examination of the ship found that “an electrical short circuit in the ship’s engine room caused the fire.”
The British Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.
I am Rakesh Sharma, I associated with Elite News as an Editor, since 2021. I take care of all the news operations like content, budget, hiring and policy making.