It was a maritime disaster. At least six people have died after a packed tourist submarine sank off the coast of Egypt. Additionally, four people are in critical condition and nine people were injured in total. The incident happened off the coast of the holiday resort of Hurghada.
The submarine carried 44 people in total including a few kids. So far, rescue crews have only managed to rescue 29 people of that total. At least six people including 4 Russian citizens are dead. The Red Sea Health Directorate and the Egyptian Ambulance Authority dispatched 21 ambulances to the scene to transport survivors to a local hospital.
According to Daily Mail, the submarine sank after taking tourists out on an underwater excursion to a coral reef.
A Facebook post read, "On March 27, around 10:00, at a distance of 1 km from the shore, an accident of the submersible 'Sindbad', belonging to the hotel of the same name occurred. The submersible carried out a regular underwater excursion with inspection of the coral reef."
Submarine Sinks
It added, "In addition to crew members, there were 45 tourists on board, including minors. All of them are Russian citizens, tourists of the company 'Biblio Globus' (the host tour company in Egypt - 'Biblio globus Egypt Tours'). According to initial data, most of the passengers on board were rescued and taken to their hotels and hospitals in Hurghada. Their health is not a cause for concern. Four people have been killed. The fate of several tourists is being determined."
It continued, "Diplomats of the General Consulate are on the pier of the 'Sindbad' hotel.'"
Reportedly, the submarine had been out to see the coral reef when the disaster struck. The vessel can dive down to 72 feet, but it ended up taking on water and sinking. Sharm Hurghada Excursion runs the tour, which is three-hours long and costs £68 per adult ticket. The website says, "It offers 44 passenger seats - two pilots' seats and a sizable round viewing window for each passenger."
So far the cause of the sinking is unknown. Authorities will investigate the matter once they clear through the wreckage and finish their rescue efforts.
