Egyptian footage of yacht on fire in Red Sea
Three British tourists in Egypt went missing Sunday in the Red Sea and are now considered unaccounted for after a large fire broke out on a luxury yacht they were aboard.
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The yacht caught fire near the coastal city of Marsa Alam in southeastern Egypt during a cruise intended for diving in the sea, and footage circulated from the fire shows raging flames on the vessel's deck.
According to reports in Egyptian and British media, there were 12 other British tourists on the yacht who were safely evacuated and brought to shore, along with 12 Egyptian crew members and guides who were on board.
Local authorities have stated that in addition to the ongoing search for the three missing individuals, they have launched an investigation to clarify the circumstances of the fire. Initial examination suggests that it was caused by an electrical short circuit in the engine room of the vessel, named "Hurricane."
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Local authorities have launched an investigation to clarify the circumstances of the fire
The fire itself reportedly started in the early morning hours of Sunday, around 6:30 a.m., and the Uk-based Daily Mirror reported that it began just as the tourists were receiving briefings about the planned diving excursion near Elphinstone Reef, where sharks and dolphins can be observed.
The yacht, at that time, was anchored near a resort site called Marsa Shagra, several kilometers north of Marsa Alam. "We saw smoke rising from the boat; it was about 9 kilometers from the shore," testified Ahmed Ma'ar, the manager of the resort site. "A nearby boat rescued them and brought them here."