AN IRISH CITIZEN was on board a tourist yacht that capsized on the Red Sea in Egypt yesterday.

A total of 16 people have now been reported missing by Egyptian rescue authorities, 12 foreigners and four Egyptians. The boat, the ‘Sea Story’, is owned locally and left from Port Ghalib near Marsa Alam on Sunday.

On board were people from Belgium, Britain, China, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. A total of 41 passengers were on board, according to local media, 13 Egyptians and 31 foreigners.

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs is aware of this incident and is providing consular assistance, a spokesperson told The Journal. The Department cannot comment further. 

The yacht was due to dock on Friday at the town of Hurghada. Yesterday, according to the governor of the water Amr Hanafi, a wave hit the boat which caused it to capsize in 5-7 minutes.

He said some survivors were rescues by aircraft while other were transported to safety on board a Egyptian navy ship. Major search operations are currently underway by local authorities.

Staff have told local media that a wave hit the boad in the middle of the night and threw the vessel on its side. The yacht passed its latest safety inspection in March of this year, with no technical issues reported.

Contains reporting from © AFP 2024