Kategorie: News
Tourist boat with 45 people on board sinks in the Red Sea
A boat with 45 people on board has sunk off the Egyptian coast in the Red Sea. On the night of 25 November 2024, the Sea Story sank off Whadi El Gamal in heavy seas.
There were 31 tourists from several countries on board; as far as is known so far, there were also four divers from Germany and two divers from Switzerland. A crew of 14 was on board. ‘The crew of the “Sea Story” sent an emergency call in the morning,’ explained the region's governor, Major General Amr Hanafi.
28 survivors were found near the coastal town of Marsa Alam. They were to be brought to safety by plane and a frigate and given medical care. The ‘Sea Story’ is a two-year-old motor yacht with cabins for more than 30 passengers. According to Hanafi, it set off from Port Ghalib yesterday and was due to arrive further north in Hurghada on Friday. Rescuers, together with the navy, would search for further survivors, Hanafi announced.
Update 6 p.m. (25 November 2024): As we have learned from a credible source, the Sea Story capsized this morning at 3:30 a.m. local time – when almost everyone was asleep. It could have been a large wave that hit the ship from behind or from the side. That would be an indication of an unstable ship. However, this reason has not been verified. The boat was damaged within minutes. The people from the upper deck and some of the crew were able to escape to the life raft, and these people were also rescued later. This is already the second ship of the same owner to be damaged in a very short time (see the fire/sinking of M/Y Sea Legend at the beginning of March this year).
Unfortunately, it must currently be assumed that the missing persons (16 or 17, including 12 tourists) probably did not make it out of the Sea Story. The ship is currently adrift with its keel up near Shaab Sharm. The Navy is planning to send divers to the wreck.
We are currently verifying this information, but this could also be the case if no more people could be identified or rescued by the search today.
Update 1:20 p.m. (26 November 2024): New information (not officially confirmed):
First the good news: Another survivor was found this morning on the shore, severely hypothermic and shocked, but alive. As reported yesterday, the wreck has been localised and is floating about 30 km from the scene of the accident. Attempts are currently being made to get inside with the help of naval divers, and three bodies have reportedly been recovered so far. This means that 15 people are still missing.
We have received a lot more information, which we are currently sorting through and trying to verify, and hope to be able to provide a verified update shortly. So this information is a preliminary update on the current situation.
Keep your fingers crossed that someone may still be found alive, there is still a chance.
Update 6:30p.m. (26 November 2024): It looks like four of the five survivors were pulled out of the belly of the drifting Sea Story today, they had been in an air bubble in the hull. Otherwise the ship is empty; the navy divers have completely searched the wreck. One diver was found far adrift. The information we are passing on here is not yet officially confirmed. There were also 4 bodies recovered today. 7 people are still missing.
Update 1:00 p.m. (27 November 2024): Unfortunately, today we still have no good news to report on the Sea Story accident. Yesterday 4 bodies were recovered and 7 people are still missing. The chances of finding the missing persons alive are dwindling.
According to our information, the military found the keel-up wreck relatively quickly. It must have been on Monday. The accident site was cordoned off and knocking sounds were heard coming from the wreck. It was not until Tuesday afternoon(!!!) that a divemaster from the Tillis, who knows the Sea Story well, was brought in by speedboat. He then dived into the wreck and rescued two people from a cabin and two more from the engine compartment. We would like to convey our greatest respect and thanks to this person. We hope to be able to introduce him to you later.
The question that arises in our minds, should this really have happened: Why did the military wait so long? There are no official reports here and the timeline is being concealed or presented as an ‘alternative’.
Update 8:00p.m. (27 November 2024): Khattab Faramawi, the hero of the Sea Story accident. Yesterday he rescued four people alive from the Sea Story and checked through the entire wreck.
Khattab Faramawi is a Master Instructor with PADI, Assistant Instructor Trainer with SSI and the Technical Manager of Dive Pro Liveaboard. With the greatest respect and admiration, we would like to thank him for his extraordinary performance. His impressive courage and determination to save four lives under the most difficult conditions deserve our highest recognition - a true hero! Chapeau!
Update 2:00 p.m. (28 November 2024): Two more dead bodies were recovered from the Red Sea during the day. They were identified as two German tourists.
Update (2 December 2024): On 2 December, the search for the rescue of the seven missing people was called off; there was no official confirmation by the coast guard.
Official news (7p.m. (26 November 2024):
Red Sea Governor: Navy rescues Finnish citizen after boat accident in Marsa Alam
Governor of the Red Sea: 9 people, including 5 alive and 4 bodies recovered after boat accident in Marsa Alam
Red Sea Governor: A total of 37 people have been pulled from the water and the Navy is still trying to find 7 more who are still missing.
The Governor of the Red Sea, Major General Amr Hanafi, announced on Tuesday that thanks to the efforts of all parties involved under the leadership of the armed forces, a Finnish national has been found alive.
The Governor stated that a total of 33 people have been rescued so far, while only 4 bodies have been recovered, making a total of 37 people rescued alive from the water; the search for 7 more missing persons is still ongoing.
On Tuesday morning, the Red Sea Governor's Office issued an official statement: The Red Sea Governorate announced that 8 people have been found alive (2 Belgians, 1 Swiss and 1 Egyptian), while 4 unidentified bodies from the Marsa Alam boat accident have been recovered, and initiated the necessary medical treatment for the survivors.
On Monday, the Red Sea governorate issued an official statement: Major General Amr Hanafi, Governor of the Red Sea, travelled to the scene of the sinking of the tourist boat ‘Sea Story’. He announced that 28 people have been rescued so far, while the search for 16 missing persons is still ongoing.
The governor of the Red Sea announced that the accident occurred 46 nautical miles off the coast of Marsa Alam. The boat belonged to an Egyptian citizen and was 34 metres long and 9.5 metres wide. The total number of passengers on board was 44 passengers (13 Egyptians - 31 different nationalities between German, British, American, Polish, Belgian, Swiss, Finnish, Chinese, Slovakian, Spanish and Irish), pointing out that the technical situation of the boat was checked and it was noted, that the last inspection of marine safety was in March 2024, and received a certificate of validity for one year, and there are no observations or technical defects related to the boat, stressing that the investigation processes continue by the competent authorities with the boat's crew to find out the causes of the accident.
The governor announced that 28 passengers were rescued, as the Navy managed to save some of them, and that a neighbouring tourist boat was able to rescue another number of passengers who happened to be present at the time of the accident (Star Gate), and that the various authorities concerned continue to search for 16 other people (4 Egyptians - 12 foreigners) in coordination and cooperation with the armed forces and the Navy. In this regard, he praised the quick action and efforts of all concerned parties, led by the Armed Forces, pointing out that about 10 ambulances were involved in providing first aid to the passengers immediately after they were rescued.
He continued: 'I was very keen to listen to the passengers after their rescue and provide them with all medical care and all the passengers who were rescued are fine and in good health and none of them needed to be taken to hospital as the injuries were minor and varied between bruises and abrasions and did not require transfer to hospital, and the initial cause of the accident, according to the reports of foreigners and the Egyptian crew, is a large wave from the sea that hit the boat, which led to its capsizing, and the problem was sudden and quick, as it lasted about 5 or 7 minutes and some passengers were in the cabins and this is the reason why they could not get out of the boat.
Major General Amr Hanafi explained the continued coordination and communication with all embassies, consulates and concerned authorities to provide passengers with all necessary facilities and obtain all necessary documents, pointing out that passengers are being accommodated in a tourist hotel in Marsa Alam. He stressed that the rescue teams are working around the clock to ensure the rapid completion of tasks while maintaining the highest safety standards, while the control measures continue in coordination with the armed forces, the Maritime Rescue Centre and the governorate's operations centre, stressing that the governorate will continue to closely monitor developments and provide all updates in due course.
It should be noted that the Red Sea Governorate Control Centre received a report from the Rescue Coordination Centre at 5:30 am stating that a distress signal was received from a member of the boat, which was on a diving trip that departed from Porto Ghalib Port in Marsa Alam between 24 November 2024 and 29 November 2024 and was scheduled to return to Hurghada Port.
First Information from the governor of the Red Sea (25 November 2024)
Amr Hanafi, the governor of the Red Sea, announced that so far 28 people have been rescued from the sunken tourist boat Sea Story south of Marsa Alam, while the search for 17 missing people is still underway.
The governor pointed out that the Al-Fatih frigate and armed forces aircraft continue to comb the area in cooperation with the Sea Rescue Centre and the governorate's operations centre. He emphasised that the rescued survivors are receiving the necessary medical care, while the search for the remaining missing persons is being intensified.
Major General Hanafi emphasised that the rescue teams are working around the clock to complete the tasks swiftly while maintaining the highest safety standards. He also expressed his gratitude and appreciation to all those involved in the search and rescue operations and praised the co-operation of the armed forces and the teams on the ground in this incident.
The Governor emphasised that the Governorate will continue to monitor developments closely and will announce any new developments in a timely manner.