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Sixteen missing after tourist boat sinks off Egypt's Red Sea coast
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Sixteen people including 12 foreign nationals are missing after a tourist boat sank off Egypt's Red Sea coast, Reuters reported citing the local government.
The Sea Story was carrying 44 including 31 tourists and 13 crew on a multi-day diving trip when it went down near the town of Marsa Alam, Reuters reported citing a statement from the Red Sea Governorate, revising an earlier report of 14 Egyptian crew aboard.
Twenty-eight people were rescued and had only minor injuries such as bruises and scrapes with none requiring hospitalisation, according to the statement.
Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi said that preliminary reports suggested a sudden large wave struck the boat, capsizing it within 5-7 minutes.
"Some passengers were in their cabins, which is why they were unable to escape," he added in the statement.
The governorate said a distress call was received at 5:30 a.m. (0330 GMT) from the boat, which had departed from Porto Ghalib in Marsa Alam on Sunday with plans to return to Hurghada Marina on Nov. 29.
Egyptian armed forces frigates and aircraft swept the area in search of the missing, but by 5:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) the search had been paused for the night, a government source told Reuters on Monday.
The foreign nationals aboard the 34-metre-long vessel, owned by an Egyptian national, included Americans, Belgians, British, Chinese, Finns, Germans, Irish, Poles, Slovakians, Spanish, and Swiss.
Published by Armenpress, original at https://armenpress.am/en/article/1205907?fbclid=IwY2xjawGzlAFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYwFN77gUJPvt2qsN0zLrpexIdKDPU7FqGL_PR_TPhYFSWTjqdGf8dVklA_aem_KGNE1o7f3MFSDJy0CHEKdQ