Egyptian authorities say 17 people are missing, including foreigners, and 28 have been rescued after a tourist boat capsized in the Red Sea.
A distress signal was detected at 05:30 (03:30 GMT) from the Sea Story, which left a port near Marsa Alam on Saturday on a five-day diving trip with 31 guests and 14 crew members, according to the governor of the Red Sea province. .
Maj-Gen Amr Hanafi said the survivors were found in the area of Wadi el-Gemal, south of Marsa Alam, and were receiving the necessary medical assistance.
He added that the Egyptian Navy’s warship El Fateh and military aircraft are intensifying their efforts to find the missing.
According to the local council in Marsa Alam, the staff of the Sea Story are all Egyptian and the guests on board the boat include British, Spanish, German, US, Slovakian, Swiss, Belgian, Polish, Norwegian, Irish, Finnish and Chinese.
Marsa Alam is a popular tourist destination on the Red Sea coast of southern Egypt and is surrounded by diving spots, including famous coral reefs.
There was no immediate word from Sea Story’s Egypt-based owner and operator, Dive Pro Liveaboard.
But its website says the ship is being built in 2022 and is 44m (144ft) tall. It has four decks and 18 cabins that can accommodate 36 passengers.
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