Three British Tourists Confirmed Dead After Boat Catches Fire in Egypt’s Red Sea

The three British tourists that were announced to be missing after a boat fire off the coast of Marsa Alam in Egypt’s Red Sea, were confirmed dead by British holiday company Scuba Travel in a press statement released on 12 June.

The tragic incident occurred on the ‘Hurricane’ ship during a scuba diving expedition. The vessel took off on 6 June and was scheduled to be back on 11 June, carrying 15 English passengers, 2 tour guides, and 10 crew members

A fire broke out on the final day, later confirmed to be an electrical short circuit according to an initial inspection by Egyptian authorities.

A statement published on the Red Sea governorate’s social media pages on 11 June confirmed the crew and all other passengers were rescued and returned to central Marsa Alam, and that a search was underway for the three missing passengers.

The British Foreign Office stated that it is in contact with local authorities to provide support to the affected British nationals.

Scuba Travel expressed its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims. The company’s statement further mentioned that local authorities and police will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the fire.

The public prosecution is currently carrying out further investigation.

The incident comes a few days after a Russian citizen was killed in a shark attack off the coast of the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada, on Thursday, 8 June.