The third day of search and rescue operations concluded on Wednesday evening without any trace of the seven individuals missing since last Monday in the sinking of the ‘Sea Story’ tourist boat in Marsa Alam during a diving trip.
Aerial surveys and maritime searches using a helicopter and a naval unit were conducted but yielded no results.
An investigation by the Quseir Public Prosecution in the Red Sea revealed that the sunken boat had a valid one-year certificate of seaworthiness, and no technical defects or faults were found related to the vessel.
The prosecution is continuing its investigations with the surviving crew members to determine the causes and circumstances of the incident.
The prosecution also heard the testimonies of the survivors. Among these were Christophe and Luciana, a young couple from the Belgian city of Namur, a picture of which recently surfaced on social media.
Red Sea Governor Major General Amr Hanfi confirmed that coordination had taken place with a number of foreign embassies and consulates in Cairo to provide the necessary facilities and obtain the official papers of the surviving and deceased passengers of the ‘Sea Story’ boat.
The total number of rescued individuals reached 33, while only four bodies were recovered, bringing the total number of people pulled from the water to 37.
Search operations continue for the remaining seven missing persons.
Hanfi praised the successful efforts of all concerned parties, especially the naval forces, in finding a number of the missing persons alive.
Three bodies of German and Slovakian nationalities were deposited in the morgue of Hurghada General Hospital at the disposal of the prosecution. The dead were recovered by search and rescue teams, and the embassies of the respective countries were notified of the deaths.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
