Three British tourists who went missing after an Egyptian dive boat caught fire have died tragically, a tour operator has confirmed.
Scuba Travel, which chartered the boat, announced that the three Britons had “died in the tragic incident” off the coast of Marsa Alam yesterday morning.
Footage on social media showed the tour ship turned into a floating inferno as its stern was ravaged by flames, producing plumes of black smoke as it stood off Elphinstone Reef in the Red Sea.
Video showed terrified passengers jumping from the ship, which had 29 people on board at the time, into the water to escape after a suspected electrical failure in the engine room caused it to catch fire.
As fears for the missing Britons grew, a Scuba Travel spokesperson told Sky News today: “We are very sorry that we as tour operators with heavy hearts must accept that three of our valued dive guests perished on the tragic incident.
“Our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to their families and friends at this very sad time.”
This is the heart-stopping moment passengers jump off a burning Egyptian tour boat
Rescue services were alerted to the fire after the fire was said to have started in the engine room due to an electrical circuit.
Three British tourists who were reported missing have died after a boat caught fire during a diving trip
Shocking footage showed the stern of the ship was ravaged by flames as black smoke billowed from the ship.
The tour boat company said the three passengers were among 15 qualified diving enthusiasts aboard the ‘Hurricane’ boat for a week-long trip when the fire broke out at around 6:30am UK time. .
“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,” the company added.
Scuba Travel said that due to the severity of the fire, 12 divers were immediately evacuated to a nearby vessel, while the 14 crew members had to abandon ship after trying to reach missing guests.
In all, 26 passengers were rescued, of whom 12 were British and the other 14 were thought to be Egyptians. Egyptian police said the rescued people had no injuries and were in good health.
Police said the rescued crew suffered no injuries and were washed ashore in good health.
Local authorities will carry out a full investigation to determine what caused the fire, while the ship cools before being towed to a port.
The cruise departed from Port Ghalib in the eastern city of Marsa Alam on June 6 and was due to return yesterday.
It was said to be one of Tornado Marine Fleet’s tours, which offer ‘Luxury Red Sea Liveaboards’ for just under £1,500 per trip.
A Foreign Office spokesman said yesterday: “We are in contact with local authorities following an incident aboard a diving boat near Marsa Alam, and we are supporting the British nationals involved.”
MailOnline has contacted the Foreign Office for an updated comment.
Police said the rescued crew suffered no injuries and were washed ashore in good health.
Pictured: The dive boat moored at the Daedalus Reef in the Red Sea, Egypt, before the fire.
The Red Sea Governorate said: “The initial examination resulted in an electrical short circuit in the engine room, and the investigating authorities went to carry out an inspection and investigation.”
He added: ‘[The Secretary General] noted that the crew and passengers were rescued by the ship named ‘Blue’ and returned to the center of Marsa Alam, and three British passengers are still being searched by the relevant authorities and other ships, stressing that the Ambulance Authority and the Directorate of Health Affairs have been notified to raise the level of preparedness and follow-up is underway.’
A diving enthusiast who was on the same ship, the Hurricane, in May, said the ship was plagued with problems and no one was surprised the fire had occurred.
He told MailOnline: ‘[We had] Recurring numbers for the week of May 1 and 8. ‘There was no nitrox on board. They should have, but they never told us.
The toilets and showers were not working properly.
He added: ‘There was some problem below decks. They were pumping something but it was going up my toilet.
“The crew work very hard, they don’t get paid very much, but the ship has seen better days.
She was in cabin six forward, so she wouldn’t have wanted to get out of there.
None of us are surprised that [the blaze] happened.’
Egypt’s Red Sea resorts are home to some of the country’s most famous beach destinations and are popular with European tourists.
It has built its reputation as a diving destination with easy access to coral reefs from shore and dive sites offering diverse marine life.
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.