UK tourists die in diving boat fire in Egypt’s Red Sea

Three qualified British diving instructors who were on a diving boat that caught fire in Egypt have been confirmed dead one day after they were declared missing.

They were part of a group of 15 diving instructors, 12 of whom were taking part in a dive briefing and were evacuated to another ship when the fire broke out.

Fourteen crew members were also rescued from the boat, which had been to Elphinstone reef, a famous diving spot.

A video of black smoke billowing out of the boat and orange flames circulated on the internet yesterday.

It is thought that the fire started in the engine room and that the boat is now cooling down before investigators can enter.

The news follows a tragic accident last week when a 23-year-old Russian was killed in a shark attack in Hurghada.

Authorities closed beaches from El-Gouna Resort to the south of Abu Souma Bay and restricted swimming, snorkelling and water sports.

In July last year several Red Sea beaches were shut after a 68-year-old Australian and a Romanian tourist in her late forties were killed close to Hurghada.

Egypt is in the middle of a severe economic crisis, with soaring inflation, lack of foreign currency and the fall of the Egyptian pound.

The four recent deaths are a huge blow to the country’s tourism industry, which has been hit hard by reports of human rights abuses under an increasingly authoritarian regime, as well as the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Around two million people work in Egypt’s tourism industry, which contributes towards ten per cent of the country’s GDP.

Egypt’s Red Sea resorts are famous for diving, snorkelling and swimming, with all year round sunshine and coral reefs.

READ: Russian tourist killed by shark on holiday in Egypt