Three bodies have been recovered from a capsized tourist boat that sank off Egypt’s Red Sea coast and 13 people were still missing, the local governor has said, Report informs via The Guardian.
Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi told Reuters that the yacht, called Sea Story, had been struck by high waves on Monday and sank in less than seven minutes.
No information has been released about the nationalities of the people whose bodies were recovered. On Monday, officials had said the missing included four Egyptians and 12 foreigners.
Reports from rescued crew members and tourists indicated it was hit by fast-moving waves, causing it to capsize, the governorate’s statement said. Some of the passengers were inside the cabins when the waves hit the four-decked, wooden-hulled motorized yacht, according to the statement.
Weather forecasters had previously released warnings of rough waters and high winds.
A total of 44 people were on board the yacht, including 13 Egyptians, who included crew, and 31 foreign nationals from the US, Germany, UK, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain, and Ireland.