Miracle in Egypt

Couple survived 35 hours in sunken boat

Survivors were brought ashore after the shipwreck.

(Bild: APA/AFP)

A couple from Belgium survived for 35 hours in the tourist boat that sank off the Egyptian coast early Monday morning - krone.at reported: an air bubble in the hull saved their lives. An expert explained that the two were "extremely lucky".

When the four-storey diving boat capsized at around 5.30 a.m. due to high waves and sank in the water off Marsa Alam, Christophe (37) and Lucianna (30) were unable to get out in time - they were pulled to the bottom of the sea with the excursion boat. But the two were lucky. An air bubble had formed in the hull of the ship and they survived for more than a day in the wreck, in which many other tourists and crew members died.

Here you can see the couple: 

"We couldn't see anything at all"
"We don't understand how we ended up in this bubble," Christophe (37) explained the dramatic situation in a video. "The water came in from all sides. We were able to film it. We were in the hull of the ship. I think our life jackets got us there. We couldn't see anything underwater."

The two hope that they will be able to get home soon. They were last asked if they had any medical emergencies or injuries. "As we weren't directly injured, we were told that we couldn't be brought back. But the problem was quickly resolved," explained the 37-year-old. They are due to leave for Belgium before Sunday. 

Survivors are being cared for by the emergency services.

(Bild: APA/AFP )

Most of the survivors were already rescued on Monday.

(Bild: APA/AFP)

Rescue workers wait for survivors on the beach.

(Bild: APA/Associated Press)

The couple said they were still in shock. "We've hardly slept for three days. We are very tired. Yes, we will certainly need help in the coming weeks," said Christophe. The Belgian and his girlfriend had lost all their belongings. "Apart from the phone I'm talking to right now, we lost our entire lives on this boat. We're alive, that's the most important thing, but everything material is gone," he explained his situation. 

Expert: "Like a second life"
A submarine pilot explained to "20 Minuten": "Depending on the position of the sunken ship on the seabed, an air bubble can form in which you can breathe - until the oxygen is used up," said Philippe Epelbaum. The length of time the couple were able to survive underwater is astonishing: "How long you survive in such a bubble depends on its size, the number of people and their stress levels. Surviving even four hours is tremendous luck - over 30 hours, as the Belgian survivors managed, is a second life."

On Sunday, the Sea Story, a boat more than 40 meters long that is designed for diving excursions lasting several days, set sail with 44 people on board - although bad weather was forecast and boat tours were not recommended. On Monday morning, the ship capsized and sank around 80 kilometers off the coast near Marsa Alam. 33 shipwrecked people have been rescued so far, some are still missing.