Egypt missing yacht latest: ‘Huge wave’ capsizes tourist boat Sea Story as two Britons feared missing in Red Sea – UK Times

The yacht was operated by Dive Pro Liveaboard, which is based in the Egyptian resort of Hurghada.

The company said it has no information on the matter.

It was not immediately clear what caused the four-deck motor yacht to sink after it departed from the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam on Monday.

The Egyptian Meteorological Authority on Saturday warned about rough weather and large waves, advising against maritime activity for Sunday and Monday on the Red Sea.

Governor of the Red Sea region Amr Hanafi according to those on board, a huge wave hit the vessel and caused it to capsize in about five or seven minutes.

Some passengers were inside the cabins, “which is why they couldn’t get out of the boat”, his statement on Facebook said.

Governor of the Red Sea region Amr Hanafi ruled out that there was a technical defect to the ship, saying that all the required licences had been obtained for The Sea Story.

Amr Hanafi, governor of the Red Sea region, said the yacht was carrying 44 people. It has capacity for 48 people, according to its website.

This included 31 foreign nationals from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain and Ireland.

Some passengers were stuck inside cabins when the vessel was hit by a large wave and capsized, the Red Sea’s governor said.

Two Britons are reported to be among dozens of people feared missing after a tourist yacht was “hit by a wave” and sank off the coast of Egypt on Monday.

At least 16 people are feared missing despite a massive rescue operation saving 28 people from the vessel, according to the governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafi.

The boat sank off the south of the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam with 31 tourists of various nationalities on board along with 13 crew members.

Four of those on board were British, according to Egyptian officials cited by local media. The BBC has reported two British people are still missing.

The Chinese embassy in Egypt said Monday two of its nationals were “in good health” after being “rescued in the cruise ship sinking accident in the Red Sea”, Chinese state media reported.

Pawel Wronski, the Polish foreign ministry spokesman, said authorities “have information that two of the tourists may have had Polish citizenship”.

“That’s all we know about them. That’s all we can say for now,” he said. The Finnish foreign ministry confirmed one of its nationals is missing.

It was not immediately clear what caused the four-deck motor yacht to sink after it departed from the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam on Monday.

The Egyptian Meteorological Authority on Saturday warned about rough weather and large waves, advising against maritime activity for Sunday and Monday on the Red Sea.

Governor of the Red Sea region Amr Hanafi according to those on board, a huge wave hit the vessel and caused it to capsize in about five or seven minutes

.Some passengers were inside the cabins, “which is why they couldn’t get out of the boat”, his statement on Facebook said.