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NewsRescue
According to media reports citing tour operators, three British tourists perished after their scuba diving boat caught fire in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt.
“It is with great regret that we, as tour operator, must accept, with heavy hearts, that three of our much-valued dive guests perished in the tragic incident,” a spokeswoman for Scuba Travel said in a statement to Sky News.
The three passengers are claimed to have been among 15 licensed divers on a week-long stay aboard Tornado Marine Fleet’s ‘Hurricane’ dive boat. The three vacationers were presumed missing when a fire broke out about 8:30 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Twelve British residents and 12 Egyptian crew members were successfully rescued and transported to the diving resort of Marsa Shagra, approximately 21 kilometers north of Marsa Alam.
“At the time the fire broke out, 12 divers were participating in a briefing on board, while those who went missing had apparently decided not to dive that morning,” Scuba Travel added.
According to the Red Sea governorate, the incident was likely triggered by an electrical short circuit in the engine room, and an investigation has been opened by the public prosecutor’s office.
A Russian man was mauled to death by a shark last week at Hurghada, another Red Sea resort in Egypt some 250 kilometers north of Marsa Alam.
Hurghada beaches resumed on Sunday after a three-day closure, with the exception of those closest to the scene of the shark attack.
