CAIRO (AP) – Egyptian authorities said three British nationals were missing after a scuba diving boat they were cruising in caught fire off Egypt’s Red Sea coastline yesterday.
In a statement, Egypt’s Red Sea Governorate said 12 crew members and 12 British tourists were rescued when a medium-sized scuba diving boat, christened “Hurricane”, went up in flames off the southern Red Sea resort town of Marsa Alam.
A search party was launched to find the remaining three British tourists whose identities were not revealed.
Following an initial examination of the vessel, Egyptian authorities said, “an electrical short circuit in the boat’s engine room sparked the blaze”.
Britain’s Foreign Office said that it was in contact with the Egyptian authorities and is “supporting the British nationals involved”.
Fatal boat accidents are uncommon in Egypt.
In 2021 a boat capsized in a lake near Egypt’s Mediterranean city of Alexandria, leaving at least five people dead, including three children.