Red Sea diving boat fire claims lives of 3 Brits, including hospice CEO
A tragic blaze onboard a diving boat in Egypt’s Red Sea claimed the lives of three British people, including Christina Quinn, 58 years old, the chief executive of St Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth. According to her family, she will be “missed beyond words” and was considered a “rock to many.” An electrical fault in the boat’s engine room at around 6:30am on Sunday is believed to be the cause of the fire. The vessel, which departed from Port Ghalib on June 6, had been scheduled to return to shore on the day of the incident.
The family’s statement described Christina Quinn as “a sister, daughter, wife, aunty, friend, and rock to many”. She had recently taken up her new role as CEO at St Luke’s Hospice, after previously working as the director of NHS South West Leadership Academy.
The tour operator, Scuba Travel, reported that 12 British passengers had attended an early-morning briefing on Sunday, while three others, including Quinn, had decided not to dive that morning. In a statement, the company explained that the fire’s “severity” led to the immediate evacuation of those 12 divers, who were transferred to another boat nearby. The 14 crew members, which included the captain and two dive guides, were also evacuated after unsuccessful attempts to reach the missing guests.
So far, the identities of the two other British victims have not been disclosed.
