A tourist submarine carrying 44 passengers sank off the coast of Egypt, nearly a kilometer from the tourist resort of Hurghada, leaving six people death and other injured.
The tragedy happened off the marina of the Sindbad Club Hotel this morning.
The passengers, including children, were all international tourists. The embassy of Moscow in Cairo releasing statement saying four of the deceased passengers were Russians.
Among them, medics Ravil Valiullin, 40, and Kristina, 39, a children’s doctor, who worked at the Urussu Central Regional Hospital in Tatarstan.
Their two daughters, who have been left orphaned by this tragedy, have been treated for injuries at a hospital in Egypt.
The two other Russian passengers who died were children, Daily Mail reports.
Through a Facebook post, the Russian embassy in Cairo stated that in fact most of the passengers, if not all, were of Russian origin.
“On March 27, around 10:00, at a distance of 1 km from the shore, an accident of the submersible ‘Sindbad’, belonging to the hotel of the same name occurred.
“The submersible carried out a regular underwater excursions with inspection of the coral reef,” the post read.
“In addition to crew members, there were 45 tourists on board, including minors. All of them are Russian citizens, tourists of the company ‘Biblio Globus’ (the host tour company in Egypt – ‘Biblio globus Egypt Tours’).
“According to initial data, most of the passengers on board were rescued and taken to their hotels and hospitals in Hurghada.
“Their health is not a cause for concern. Four people have been killed. The fate of several tourists is being determined.”
“Diplomats of the General Consulate are on the pier of the ‘Sindbad’ hotel.’
27 people have been taken to a hospital, with four in critical condition. Another 29 have been rescued without sustaining injuries. Two more are still missing.
Authorities haven’t confirmed he cause of the tragic incident. It remains unknown whether the submarine collided with another object. However, some reports suggest that it allegedly hit a coral reef.
A total of 21 ambulances attended the scene following the incident. The Red Sea Health Directorate and the Egyptian Ambulance Authority have been on maximum alert.
A tourist who had been a passenger of the tourist submarine days before it sank stated it was in a “terrible condition.”
According to the Mirror, he told reporters, “The glass was broken and scuffed, and visibility was 50/50. It was difficult to see the fish and the diving show.”
Allegedly, the company owning the Sinbad tourist submarine that sank didn’t keep record of the names of their passengers.
“They simply took money from tourists and sent them underwater without any minimal preparation”, one tourist said, as per the Mirror.
This isn’t the sole incident of this kind. Back in November, a boat named Sea Story sank near the tourist resort of Marsa Alam. It carried 45 people.
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