Medics and people wait for possible survivors after a boat sank near the harbor in Marsa Alam, Red Sea Governorate, in Egypt on Monday. Photo by EPA-EFE
Authorities recovered four bodies, and seven bodies remain missing after a tourist yacht capsized and sank in the Red Sea on Tuesday.
Egyptian military forces said 37 people on the yacht were rescued after officials received a distress call Monday. The cause of the yacht capsizing remains under investigation. Advertisement
The yacht, the Sea Story, left Port Ghalib on Sunday and was scheduled to reach Hurghada Marina on Friday. Authorities said the distress call from the yacht came in about 5:30 a.m. local time from 46 nautical miles off the coast of Marsa Alam.
“Survivors are being provided with necessary medical care,” said Governor of the Red Sea region Amr Hanafi, according to Sky News.
Hanafi the yacht sank “rapidly” after being hit by a large wave.
“This was the preliminary cause of the incident, according to accounts from both foreign and Egyptian crew members,” Hanafi said, according to The Telegraph. “The situation unfolded rapidly, taking only five to seven minutes, and some passengers were trapped inside cabins, preventing their escape.”
