Sub carrying tourists on reef tour sinks off Egypt's Red Sea; 6 die, dozens rescued
At least six people were killed and nine others injured Thursday when an Egyptian tourist submarine sank off the coast of the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada, local media reported.
The Red Sea Governorate said the Sindbad had 50 people onboard, including a crew of five Egyptians and 45 tourists from Russia, India, Norway and Sweden. The Russian embassy in Egypt said the passengers were mostly Russians and that some were children. The age and nationality of the fatalaties could not immediately be confirmed.
Local media outlet Al Masry Al Youm said rescue boats and other tourist boats raced to the scene along with more than a dozen ambulances. The sub sank at about 10 a.m. local time less than a mile from shore, authorities said. The submarine is owned by an Egyptian and the sub and captain were properly licensed, he said.
“According to the initial data, most of those on board were rescued and taken to their hotels and hospitals in Hurghada,” the Russian embassy said in a social media post.
Egyptian authorities were interviewing crewmembers to determine why the submarine sank, Red Sea Province Governor Amr Hanafy said.
The sub had been operating for several years, taking two-hour trips to view the sea life and coral reefs at a depth of about 80 feet, Al Masry reported. Tourists take a boat ride from a marina to the submarine, then descend into the waters to the view the scenery while divers work to divert fish to within view.
Tour boats for divers had prompted safety warning
The Red Sea is a major factor in Egypt's tourism industry, which is crucial to the nation's economy. A U.N. report ranked Egypt first in Africa for tourism in 2024, crucial for the hard-pressed economy. But there have been problems in Hurghada.
Last month, a tour boat with six people aboard that caters to divers capsized and sank in rough weather in the Red Sea near Hurghada. Everyone aboard the Triton was rescued. That same day the U.K. Marine Accident Investigation Branch issued a safety bulletin on the dangers of dive boats operating in the Red Sea.
In November, the dive boat Sea Story sank with 46 people aboard. Four people were confirmed killed and several others remain missing.
Titan submersible imploded in 2023
The Titan Submersible was on a tourist expedition to explore the remains of the Titanic when it imploded on June 18, 2023, killing all five people on board. Wreckage of the vessel was later found scattered across the ocean floor, 330 yards away from the bow of the Titanic, the infamous liner that sank in 1912.
Five people on board the submersible included OceanGate's founder and CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French maritime expert Paul-Henri-Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood.
The Coast Guard held a series of hearings last year on the implosion as part of its ongoing investigation into the causes of the disaster. Authorities believe the submersible suffered a "catastrophic implosion" that instantly killed everyone on board.
Contributing: Reuters