3 days ago
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At least six people have reportedly died and nine have been injured after a 44-seater tourist submarine sank off the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada.
The incident, involving a recreational vessel operated by Sindbad Submarines, occurred in waters opposite Hurghada’s Marriot hotel resort.
Citing municipal officials, Reuters and Associated Press reported that six foreigners had died. The Russian consulate in Hurghada said all the tourists on the submarine were Russian citizens.
“According to initial data, most of those onboard were rescued and taken to their hotels and hospitals in Hurghada,” the consulate said. The fate of several tourists was still being clarified, the consulate added.
It was not immediately clear what caused the submarine to sink.
The Sindbad website says it offers short tourist trips in two submarines that it operates that have a maximum depth range of 25 metres (82ft).
According to the website its submarines allow tourists to “experience the beauty of the Red Sea’s underwater world without getting wet”.
The local governorate’s office told Reuters that all of those confirmed dead were foreign citizens, and survivors had been taken by ambulance to several hospitals in the city.
Emergency crews were able to rescue 29 people, according to a statement released by the governorate.
Many tourist companies have stopped or limited travelling on the Red Sea due to the dangers from conflicts in the region over the past decade. A number of airlines suspended package flights to Egypt after the bombing of an aircraft operated by Metrojet.
In November, a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea after warnings of rough waters, Egyptian officials said. At least four people drowned, while 33 were rescued.
