"Sea Story" Sinks - Dozens Missing

[GordMay]

Dozens of tourists are missing, after a boat named “Sea Story” sank, near Shaab Satayah, off the Egyptian Red Sea coast.

The boat reportedly sank, a coral reef popular for diving trips, off the tourist resort of Marsa Alam, this morning.
Evidently, a crew member sent a distress signal at 5.30am, before dropping off the radar, and losing contact.
The boat departed on a diving trip, from the port of Ghalib, in Marsa Alam, on November 24, and was scheduled to arrive at Hurghada Marina, on November 29.
It had 31 tourists of different nationalities, as well as 14 crew members on board.
Red Sea governor Amr Hanafy said some tourists were rescued, in the Ghadeer area of Wai El Gemal, but has not revealed how many others are still missing.
The search operation, involving the Egyptian navy, is ongoing, and a helicopter has been deployed to scour the area.
The Sea Story is a 144ft pleasure craft, built in 2022, which can carry up to 32 passengers.,
It has 18 twin cabins on board, which are used for tourists on diving trips to explore the Red Sea reefs.

[GordMay]

A total of 44 people were on board the yacht, including 13 Egyptians, who include crew members, and 31 foreign nationals, from the [2] United States, [4] Germany, [4] United Kingdom, [2] Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, [2] China, Slovakia, [5] Spain, and Ireland.

Rescuers have saved 28 people, and rescuers are still searching for the 16 missing, including 4 Egyptians and 12 foreigners.
Two of those missing are British, the BBC understands. Finland has confirmed one of their nationals is unaccounted for.
Authorities have not indicated the possible cause of the incident, but added accounts of people onboard mentioned a wave hit the boat, and caused it to capsize, and sink, all of which took five to seven minutes.
Weather forecasters had warned against marine activities for Sunday and Monday.
Wind speeds were between 37-43 mph [60-70 km/h], and wave heights were 10 ➛ 13 feet [3 ➛ 4 metres] high, according to the Egyptian Meteorological Authority.

[landsend]

13 ft waves,40 mph winds! Great diving weather! Visibility on the reef was probably wonderful. What is the matter with these people?

[boatman61]

Report today has 3 found alive and 4 bodies recovered.
How up to date I don’t know.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Report today has 3 found alive and 4 bodies recovered.
How up to date I don’t know.

Number found alive now reported as 4.. 1 more than above earlier report.. Swiss, Belgian and Egyptian.

[boatman61]

Now up to 5.. a Finn has been found alive..

[boatman61]

In June 2023 three British tourists died in a fire aboard another dive boat, Hurricane, close to the spot Sea Story sank.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by landsend

13 ft waves,40 mph winds! Great diving weather! Visibility on the reef was probably wonderful. What is the matter with these people?

It's a liveaboard boat; they have to be somewhere. Contingency planning tends to be weak in that business, and willingness to execute a contingency plan tends to be low.

[Johan Leopard51]

Awful event.

People save up and plan a once in a lifetime scuba event, operator is under pressure because of non refundable airfares and marketing and they end up saying stuff-it, let’s go, despite the forecast weather. Maybe it improves.

Most pax would probably also be under the same faulty logic tree, and if they had forecasts, would not even have opted out and said ‘stuff it we are here’.

NEVER set forth because of a time schedule. I have been unpopular for a ruling many times, a few times the pax said good-call.

[barnakiel]

The condition probably quoted over open water. The boat probably operating inside protected waters. It may blow 45 and if you are anchored at the reef the sea is flat. And diving is possible too.


Very unlikely the captain would have taken her out into the rough as then the crew and the passengers are vomiting everywhere in no time. And you just do not want that.



Probably over time the rescued will tell.


Boats sink. That's a known fact.


I hope anyone else will be found. It is warm water and they are divers. The problem is there are the sharks too.



b.

[FerrariSailing]

Anybody know anything about the 50ft cat found capsized of US east coast. 2 people onboard now missing.