Six Russians were killed while 39 foreign tourists were rescued on Thursday when a viewing submarine sank off the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada, according to the local governor’s office.
According to the Red Sea Governorate, the submarine “Sindbad” carried 50 people: 45 tourists from Russia, India, Norway, and Sweden, as well as five Egyptian crew members.
“The majority of those on board were rescued and taken to Hurghada hotels and hospitals,” the Russian consulate reported.
The submarine was equipped with large portholes to let passengers see the Red Sea’s spectacular corals and marine life, and was able to descend to a depth of 25 metres, according to the company’s website.
The pleasure craft was a far cry from the extreme adventure submersible that imploded thousands of metres below the Atlantic near the sunken Titanic in June 2023.
The Red Sea is a major hub for Egypt’s vital tourism industry, a cornerstone of the economy, in which Russian tourists are increasingly important.
Egypt also attracts tourists with its Great Pyramids of Giza and Nile cruises in Luxor and Aswan.
Successive Egyptian governments have successfully cracked down on Islamist extremist groups that have previously harmed the tourism business by targeting foreigners.
Egyptian officials are conducting investigations with crew members to discover the causes of the submarine sinking, according to Red Sea Province Governor Amr Hanafy.
The submarine, which is owned by an Egyptian, was licensed and so was the crew captain, he said.
There have been several recent incidents of tourist boats capsizing.
Last June, a boat sank after suffering severe damage from high waves, though no casualties were reported.
In November, a tourist boat capsized while carrying 31 tourists and 13 crew on a multi-day diving trip. Local media reported that at least 11 people had died in the incident, which was also blamed on high waves.
‘All good here’ was last message before OceanGate’s Titan submersible imploded
At the time, the governor of the Red Sea province stated that the Sea Story had passed a safety examination eight months prior.
Last month, a tourist boat capsized on its way to Hurghada after getting repairs.
The Tourism Ministry and the Chamber of Diving did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
According to a United Nations assessment, Egypt will have the highest tourism revenues in Africa in 2024, with $14.1 billion, more than double its Suez Canal profits, emphasizing tourism’s critical role in sustaining the country’s struggling economy.
