A submarine carrying Russian tourists sank off Egypt’s Red Sea coast on Thursday, leaving at least four people dead and rescue workers scrambling to pull people out of the water, according to the Russian Embassy in Egypt and local news reports.
The vessel was believed to be carrying about 45 people on a tour of the coral reef off the coast near Hurghada, a popular resort city nearly 300 miles southeast of Cairo.
The Russian Embassy said in a statement on social media that four Russian tourists had died. Local news outlets reported that at least six people were dead, but the numbers could not immediately be verified.
Nine people were injured and were taken to a nearby hospital, and rescue workers pulled 29 people out of the water, news reports said.
The vessel was less than a mile from the shore when it sank at around 10 a.m. local time, the Russian Embassy said. The submarine is owned by the Sindbad resort, according to the embassy. Recreational submarines are popular among tour operators along the strip of vacation towns and resorts for exploring the area’s colorful coral reefs.
The Sindbad resort owns two submarines that are able to dive about 25 meters, or 82 feet, underwater, according to the resort’s website, but the vessels did not appear on a search of the website later in the day. The vessels can seat 44 tourists, along with two crew members for its tours.
Staff members who responded to calls to the resort’s front desk said that the vessel belonged to the resort, but declined to provide their names. The hotel did not respond to requests for comment.
The tour was organized by Biblio Globus Egypt Tours, the Russian Embassy said. The company, which is based in Hurghada, according to records form the Egyptian Travel Agents Association, could not be reached and its website was down.
Egypt has a history of problems involving tourist boats. Britain’s Maritime Accident Investigation Branch warned visitors of the poor safety records of touring vessels on the Red Sea in the area after three accidents in less than two years.
Over the last five years there have been 16 accidents, resulting in several deaths, the government agency said last month. The vessels were often poorly constructed with substandard emergency routes or run by operators who are not properly trained to respond in emergency situations.
Last November, four people died when a boat carrying 44 passengers sank during a six-day diving trip from Marsa Alam, another Red Sea resort. The trip was supposed to end in Hurghada.
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