A tourist yacht, named "Hurricane", was engulfed in fire in the Red Sea's city of Marsa Alam on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Red Sea Governorate
The yacht, named “Hurricane,” caught fire during a trip that was scheduled to last from 6-11 June in the Fuston area, about 25 km north of Marsa Alam in the Red Sea.
The boat was carrying a total of 27 individuals, including 10 Egyptian crew members, two Egyptian tour guides and 15 British tourists.
The 12 Egyptians and 12 of the British tourists were successfully rescued after the fire.
However, efforts are still ongoing to locate the three missing British tourists with the assistance of local authorities and additional boats.
The Egyptian Ambulance Authority and the Health Affairs Directorate are closely monitoring the situation and are fully prepared to provide any necessary assistance, according to Mohamed Bendary, the Red Sea governorate’s secretary-general.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the fire originated in the boat’s engine room, likely due to an electrical fault, Bendary said.
The Public Prosecution is investigating the incident, he added.
The incident comes just three days after a man was killed in a shark attack in Hurghada, another popular Red Sea tourist city around 250 km north of Marsa Alam.
Beaches around Hurghada were reopened on Sunday after a 72-hour closure, except for those nearest the attack.
The two incidents come has Egypt’s tourism industry has made significant progress in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, receiving a record-breaking 1.35 million tourists in April.
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