Sailors from the Egyptian navy rescued 14 Egyptian tourists off the coast of Hurghada on Sunday after it began to take on water amid poor weather conditions.
The tourist boat was taking a group on a trip along the coast when it was hit by bad weather, causing it to lean to the right.
According to eyewitnesses, the vessel took on large amounts of water, causing a mechanical failure, and it began to sink.
The Red Sea naval base was notified, and a rescue effort was mounted, successfully rescuing all on board the vessel.
The tourists were transferred to another boat and provided with medical attention, while the boat was towed to shore.
On Friday, the navy made another rescue attempt off Hurghada, plucking nine people to safety from a sinking yacht.
Three American tourists and two Egyptians were rescued, along with the crew of four, after the vessel named Tree Fares sent a distress signal.
There have been numerous accidents at sea off Hurghada, many involving tourists, and some with tragic outcomes.
In 2012, six people drowned when a tourist submarine collided with a coral reef and filled with water. Three of those killed were German tourists, while another 13 tourists of various nationalities were rescued.
The largest such disaster in the area was the sinking in 2006 of the ferry Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 with the loss of over a thousand lives. The ferry sank in rough seas and a sandstorm en route from Dubah in Saudia Arabia to Safaga in Egypt.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
