Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday that an Italian tourist died after being hospitalized following a collision between two cruise ships on Sunday evening in the Nile River, south of Luxor, Egypt.
Speaking to reporters before departing for Djibouti, the minister added: “We are continuing to monitor the situation of all other Italians through our embassy in Cairo and our consulate in Luxor, as a large number of Italian tourists were on board the cruise ship.”
The minister confirmed that the other tourists encountered no problems, the RT reported on Monday.
“The Egyptian judiciary is currently conducting an investigation to determine who is responsible, and at this time, we can only mourn the loss of this woman,” the minister added.
The deceased was Denise Ruggeri, 47, from L’Aquila, in central Italy.
Cruise ship collision
The General Authority for River Transport announced on Sunday that the accident occurred while the cruise ship “Opera” was traveling from Aswan to Luxor.
After passing through the Esna Lock by two kilometers, it was blindsided by a sharp maneuver from the ship “Beau Rivage,” which was traveling in the opposite direction from Luxor to Aswan.
This maneuver violated navigation rules, which give priority to the vessel moving with the current.
The accident resulted in damage to the bow of the “Opera” and the destruction of three cabins on the “Beau Rivage.”
The Italian victim suffered severe injuries and bleeding and passed away while being treated at the intensive care unit of the Taiba Specialized Hospital in Esna.
The River Transport Authority statement indicated that the license of the “Beau Rivage” driver was withdrawn and suspended, with the incident being referred to the competent prosecution for investigation.
