Six people were killed and dozens more were rescued from Red Sea waters on Thursday after a tourist submarine sank near the Egyptian resort city of Hurghada, according to the Russian embassy and Egyptian state-run media.
The tragedy, which struck off Egypt’s typically idyllic eastern coastline, sparked a frantic rescue effort and left 21 people in hospital – including seven children, aged between two and 15 – according to Russian state-run outlet RIA Novosti.
Most of those on board were Russian vacationers, according to RIA and the Russian embassy in Egypt. A total of 39 people were rescued, Reuters reported citing Egyptian authorities. Those killed were foreign nationals, the agency said.
The incident occurred at 10:00 a.m. local time Thursday, when the submarine “crashed at a distance of 1 km from the shore,” the embassy said. The vessel was on a regular underwater excursion to inspect the coral reef, the embassy added.
Hurghada is a popular beach town on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, and the company that runs the submarine tours claims to be well-established in exploring the region’s dramatic seabed.
CNN has reached out to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities for comment.
The operator of the submarine has an “expert team” with “years of experience,” according to its website, adding that its submarines were “engineered in Finland to sustain underwater pressure up to 75m, ensuring safety and reliability.”
In an emergency, the company says “oxygen masks are located overhead and life vests under the seats.”
Sindbad Submarines says it has two “recreational submarines” in its fleet, each of which could carry 44 passengers and two pilots with a “sizable round viewing window” for each passenger.
The vessel could reach a depth of 25 meters below sea level for 40 minutes, allowing passengers to explore “500 meters of coral reef and its marine inhabitant.”
The “spacious air-conditioned cabin” is also said to feature “comfortable seats and personal TV monitors.”
In November, at least 16 people went missing after a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea following warnings about rough seas. At the time, it was not immediately clear what caused the four-deck, wooden-hulled motor yacht to sink.
Egypt’s tourism economy is among its key sources of revenue. (CNN)
