Latest
RACE AGAINST TIME
Frantic rescue mission for five TRAPPED in sunken Red Sea submarine after it ‘hits reef’ off Hurghada resort killing six
A desperate rescue operation is now underway to save those stuck
SIX tourists are dead and five more are trapped after a pleasure submarine sank off the coast of the Red Sea resort city of Hurghada.
Dozens of Russian holidaymakers were on board the vessel which sank in the harbour about a kilometre off the Egyptian coast on Thursday.
14
14
14
14
Five are still trapped inside the submarine after it is believed to have hit a reef as a desperate rescue effort tries to save the stuck tourists.
Local authorities claimed six people had died, but Moscow's embassy in Cairo said four Russians had died and eight people were missing after the disaster at 10am local time.
The Sindbad submarine was carrying 45 Russian tourists as it made a 40-minute journey to view a reef.
Twenty-nine were pulled from the shark-infested water, but nine were injured, including four who have been left fighting for their lives in a critical condition.
Read more on world news
Russian media reported that there were 15 children on board.
Survivors have been taken back to their hotels while the injured have been taken to hospital.
If you know more about what happened or if you have ever been on a Sindbad submarine please contact james.halpin@the-sun.co.uk
It is not yet clear the ratio of tourists to crew members in the vessel - which is claimed to be one of only 14 real recreational submarines in the world.
Most read in The Sun
The submarine has 44 passenger seats, two pilot seats, and a round viewing window for each passenger.
What caused the Sindbad to sink is not yet clear and an investigation has now been launched by Egyptian authorities.
14
14
14
The tourists were part of the Biblio Globus company and many were staying at Sindbad hotel - which owned the submarine.
The sub was operated by Sindbad Submarines which takes tourists up to 85 feet below the balmy waters of the Red Sea for 40 minutes.
An adult ticket costs £53 while a child's ticket costs £25 for the three-hour journey which includes a boat ride out to the waiting to submersible.
Those on board will get to enjoy seeing coral and fish as well as a show performed by divers outside the boat.
14
14
14
The Russian embassy in Cairo said: "On March 27, at about 10:00, the Sindbad bathyscaphe, owned by the hotel of the same name, crashed 1km off the shore. […] In addition to the crew, there were 45 tourists on board, including minors. All of them are Russian citizens."
";Most of those on board were rescued and taken to their hotels and hospitals in Hurghada.
"Their health condition is not a concern. Four people died. The fate of several tourists is being clarified."
Hurghada is a popular tourist destination for Brits and Germans and a number of nautical jaunts operate from the resort.
It stretches some 25 miles across the Egyptian coast with the Red Sea and is frequented by sun-lovers and divers.
A German couple and their child drowned in a submarine accident off Hurghada in 2021.
14
14
Thirteen other tourists of different nationalities were rescued after the sub reportedly crashed into a coral reef.
The 2023 Titan sub disaster shocked the world after the custom-built submersible imploded as it dived down to the wreck of the doomed titanic.
A frantic but ultimately futile search was launched for the sub - but all five on board were killed instantly in the horror crush.
In February, another tourist boat disaster happened further south in Marsa Alam.
Four died after when a scuba diving boat capsized and seven tragically remain missing four months on.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The boat had been carrying tourists from locations like Britain, the US, and Germany.
The Sun has contacted Sindbad Submarines for comment.
14
14
Topics
