3 British tourists missing as boat catches fire in Egypt’s Red Sea
Video shows flames erupting from yacht named Hurricane; local Egyptian authorities say 27 rescued
CAIRO — Three British tourists were missing Sunday after a motor yacht caught fire in Egypt’s Red Sea, authorities said.
The Red Sea governorate said in a statement that “15 English passengers, 10 members of the crew, and two tour guides” had been rescued, and that the search for the missing three was ongoing.
Video circulating on media and online showed a white motor yacht named Hurricane with flames erupting from it.
Initial reports blamed the fire on an electrical fault in the engine room, officials said.
The boat was on a six-day cruise and due back Sunday when the blaze broke out while it was about 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of the coastal town of Marsa Alam.
The Red Sea is a major tourist destination in Egypt, a country of 105 million in serious economic crisis. The sector employs two million people and generates more than 10 percent of GDP.
فيديو متداول لاشتعال مركب سياحي جنوب البحر الأحمر في المياه المصرية صباح اليوم الأحد.
وبحسب مصدر مسؤول مصري لـ"الشرق"، فإن عمليات البحث جارية للتأكد من أعداد المتواجدين على المركب وجنسياتهم.
وأكد المصدر أيضا أن السلطات الأمنية تجري بحثاً لتحديد أسباب الحريق.
#الشرق_للأخبار pic.twitter.com/bqrUi2z8SE— Asharq News الشرق للأخبار (@AsharqNews) June 11, 2023
On Thursday a Russian tourist was killed by a shark off the Egyptian Red Sea city of Hurghada.
The Times of Israel Community.