Two Britons are reported to be among dozens of people missing after a tourist yacht capsized off the coast of Egypt.
Sea Story was carrying 44 people and sunk after being hit by a wave in the Red Sea at around 5.30am local time on Monday morning, said Amr Hanafi, governor of the Red Sea region.
While 28 people were rescued, 16 people remained missing on Monday night, Mr Hanafi said.
Among those missing are two Britons, according to the BBC, with the UK Foreign Office providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families as a result of the incident.
The boat, owned and operated by marine company Dive Pro Liveaboard, had set sail on a five-day diving trip before it sunk south of the coastal town of Marsa Alam.
Those onboard included 31 foreign nationals from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain and Ireland.
Mr Hanafi said a “high sea 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.
Mr Hanafi ruled out a technical defect to the ship, saying that all the required licences had been obtained for Sea Story.
Egyptian weather forecasters had warned about rough weather and large waves on the Red Sea just two days earlier. Wind speeds were between 37-43 mph (60-70 km/h), and wave heights were 3-4m (10-13ft) high, they said.
On Monday night, an Egyptian navy warship El Fateh and military aircraft were spearheading rescue efforts to locate those still missing, with rescue teams working around the clock.
The Finnish foreign ministry confirmed to AFP news agency that one of its nationals is also among the missing.
The UK Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families following an incident in Egypt and are in contact with the local authorities.”
The Chinese embassy in Egypt confirmed two of its nationals were “in good health” after being rescued, according to their state media as reported by AFP news agency.
Meanwhile, Polish foreign ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski, told state-run Polish news agency PAP that authorities had information that two Polish citizens may have been aboard the boat.
A spokesperson for travel trade organisation Abta said: “We have been in contact with our members to see if they had any customers on the ship affected by this incident.”
Marsa Alam is a popular destination for tourists on Egypt’s southern Red Sea coast and is surrounded by diving spots, including renowned coral reefs.
Three Britons died in June last year when the diving boat they were on burst into flames off Marsa Alam. The fire was caused by a suspected electrical fault.
