They set off on Sunday morning, looking forward to a five-day diving trip in the Red Sea, a popular worldwide destination filled with beautiful coral reefs and plentiful marine life. But for the 31 tourists onboard the luxury Sea Story yacht, the dream excursion turned into a nightmare when the vessel was reportedly struck by high waves on Monday and sank in less than seven minutes. In total, 44 people were on the 34-metre boat when the distress signals were sent not far from the town of Marsa Alam - of those, just 33 people have so far been rescued.
They include , keen sailors, according to . However, Egyptian authorities searching the sunken ship have so far found four dead bodies. Seven people are still reported missing.
For those rescued, their stories of survival are now emerging with some said to have spent 30 hours trapped in air pockets inside the yacht before being dramatically saved. It’s a sickening end to a diving trip the tourists onboard, who came from many different countries including UK, United States, Germany and Ireland for the trip operated by Dive Pro Liveaboard. Life on board the four-deck wooden boat was luxurious.
The tourists enjoyed a plush lounge, complete with bar and 18 air-conditioned en-suite rooms. But the trip took a turn for the worse after the boat departed Marsa Alam on Sunday despite weather warnings from the Egyptian Meteorological Authority. The authority warned of the possibility of large waves and advised boats against any maritime a.
