Three British tourists are missing after a scuba diving boat they were cruising in caught fire off Egypt’s Red Sea coastline on Sunday. A further 12 British nationals were rescued, along with 12 Egyptian crew members. They were brought to safety at the nearby diving resort of Marsa Shagra, about 13 miles (21km) north of the town of Marsa Alam. The fire was caused by an electrical short circuit on the boat, named Hurricane which had been used for a trip since 6 June in an area just north of Marsa Alam. Egypt’s public prosecution office is investigating the incident. A search party has been launched to find the remaining three British tourists, whose identities were not revealed.
Fatal boat accidents are uncommon in Egypt, with five people dead in 2021 and 37 people rescued from a tourist boat that had capsized in the Red Sea in April. Egypt's Red Sea resorts are popular with European holidaymakers, and the area has cemented its reputation as a dive destination. Last week, a Russian man was killed after being mauled by a shark off one of Egypt's Red Sea resorts, Egyptian and Russian authorities have said. The Russian consulate in Hurghada identified the man as a Russian citizen but did not give his name. A video circulating online purportedly of the attack shows a man thrashing about in the water before being repeatedly attacked by a shark circling him, then dragged under.
The Russian consulate urged Russian tourists to be vigilant when in the water and to adhere to any swimming bans imposed by local authorities. Shark attacks are rare in the Red Sea coastal regions, but two women were killed within days of each other in shark attacks at Hurghada in 2022.
