Three Brits missing after Red Sea diving boat fire in Egypt

A search is currently ongoing for three British passengers who went missing after a diving boat caught fire in the Red Sea, off the coast of Egypt. Out of the 15 British passengers, 10 crew members, and two guides on the vessel in Marsa Alam, 12 tourists were rescued. Authorities have cited an electrical fault as the likely cause of the fire.

The boat had departed from Port Ghalib on Tuesday and was scheduled to return on Sunday. The Red Sea Governorate stated, “The initial examination resulted in an electrical short circuit in the engine room, and the investigation authorities went to conduct an inspection and investigation.” Social media footage displayed the boat almost entirely consumed by flames and smoke.

Ahmed Maher, a diving manager at Marsa Shagra village, reported to Reuters, “We saw smoke from the boat, it was around 9km from the beach.” A spokesperson from the Foreign Office said, “We are in contact with local authorities following an incident aboard a dive boat near Marsa Alam, and are supporting British nationals involved.”

The fire was detected at 9:15am on Sunday, and the Red Sea Governorate’s secretary general, Major General Mohamed Bandari, confirmed in a statement that the accident occurred due to a fire on the boat, named the Hurricane. The statement further added, “He [Bandari] pointed out that the crew and passengers were rescued by the boat named Blue and returned to central Marsa Alam, and a search is still under way for three British passengers by the concerned authorities and other boats, stressing that the Ambulance Authority and the Directorate of Health Affairs have been notified to raise the level of readiness and follow-up is under way.”

The Tornado Marine Fleet, the owner of the Hurricane vessel, stated that the boat caught fire at 6:30am “while doing the diving briefing.” The company is now working to bring the boat back to the marina under the supervision of authorities.