17 Missing After Tourist Yacht Sinks in Red Sea

28 rescued amid rough seas south of Marsa Alam, Egypt
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 25, 2024 9:19 AM CST
17 Missing After Tourist Yacht Sinks in Red Sea
Tourist boats are docked in Marina Sharm on the Red Sea in Sharm el-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022.   (AP Photo/Thomas Hartwell)

At least 17 people are missing after a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea following warnings about rough seas, Egyptian officials said Monday. The governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafy, said rescuers saved 28 people from the vessel south of the coastal town of Marsa Alam, and some were airlifted to receive medical treatment. Hanafy said 31 tourists of various nationalities were on board along with 14 crew, reports the AP. The governorate received a report shortly before dawn Monday of a distress call made from the yacht, which had left Marsa Alam for a five-day journey. Many tourist companies have stopped or limited traveling on the Red Sea due to the conflicts in the region.

It was not immediately clear what caused the four-deck, wooden-hulled motor yacht to sink. But the Egyptian Meteorological Authority on Saturday warned about turbulence and high waves on the Red Sea and advised against maritime activity for Sunday and Monday. A person answering the phone at the company that operates the yacht, Dive Pro Liveaboard in Hurghada, Egypt, told the AP they have "no information" and hung up. According to their website, the Sea Story was built in 2022 and can hold 36 passengers. The Egyptian military was coordinating rescue operations with the governorate.

(More Red Sea stories.)

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