Boat drama in Egypt

Search teams find more bodies and survivors

Rescue workers wait for survivors after the accident on the coast in Marsa Alam.

(Bild: APA/Associated Press)

Following the boat accident off the coast of Marsa Alam in Egypt, the search for missing persons continues on the second day after the tragedy. According to the authorities, another body and five survivors have been pulled from the water. Seven people are still missing, 33 of a total of 44 people on board have been rescued. 

Following the sinking of the tourist boat early on Monday morning, a large number of search teams were deployed in the Red Sea - including a helicopter and an Egyptian military frigate searching for survivors. 

Three Germans still missing
The Foreign Office in Germany reported that six Germans were among the vacationers. Three of them were rescued. The three others who are still missing are residents of Bavaria, including a married couple from Munich (both 41) and a 32-year-old man, as reported by the "FAZ" newspaper. 

Pictures of the shipwrecked vessel and the rescue operation:

There is little information so far on the identity of the four bodies already recovered. The last survivor to be rescued from the water is said to be a Finn. There were many Europeans on the ill-fated boat - they came from Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Finland, Belgium, Poland and Slovakia. Tourists from China and the USA were also on board. 

Survivors recover in a café shortly after their rescue.

(Bild: APA/Associated Press)

Weather conditions "not stable"
The now sunken ship Sea Story was on a five-day trip with the vacationers, including dives, when the crew made a distress call on Monday morning. According to eyewitnesses, the four-storey motor yacht was probably hit by today's swell. The vessel capsized and sank in the waves, and many passengers were unable to escape from their cabins in time. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were described by local media as "not stable". 

The governor of the region, Amr Hanafi, explained that an inspection in the spring did not reveal any defects on the two-year-old ship. The diving boat also had all the necessary licenses. 

The governor of the region, Amr Hanafi, talks to survivors.

(Bild: APA/AFP)

Governor: "Rescued passengers are doing well"
The survivors have now been accommodated in a hotel in Marsa Alam, and some had to be taken to hospital for treatment in the meantime. "All rescued passengers are doing well," said Hanafi. In cooperation with the embassies of the survivors' countries of origin, work is now underway to obtain all the documents needed for the journey home. 

Safety standards in the Red Sea often inadequate
Experts emphasized that many ships in the Red Sea do not comply with the most rudimentary safety standards - there is not even an internationally recognized safety standard for smaller boats, according to the magazine "Stern". Inspections are often carried out carelessly and corruption is also a problem.

German lives lost in sinking of another ship
A ship belonging to the operator of the Sea Story had already sunk in the spring - this incident also ended fatally. The tourist boat Sea Legend sank off the coast of Egypt with 17 divers on board. According to Stern magazine, one German died. The magazine reports that attempts were made to cover up the accident shortly after the tragedy.