Two missing Belgians have been found alive after a tourist boat sank off the coast of Egypt. The news comes from the local governor, who was speaking to the BBC and has been confirmed by the Belgian foreign ministry. Earlier, the ministry reported that two Belgians on board the vessel were missing. A total of 10 people on board are reportedly still missing, 4 bodies have already been recovered. 31 others have been rescued.
The vessel, the Sea Story, set sail from the port of Port Ghalib on Saturday with 44 people on board: 31 tourists on a diving excursion and 13 Egyptian crew members. Normally, the boat was supposed to dock in the port of Hurghada, 200 kilometres away, on Friday.
Yesterday morning, at around 5.30am local time, Egyptian authorities received a distress signal from the Sea Story. The tourist boat reportedly sank near the Sha'ab Sataya reef, a spot popular with divers.
Belgians on board
According to news agency AP, 28 people have since been rescued. Authorities are still searching for 16 missing people.
It is not yet clear who was on the boat or who was rescued. Egyptian news website Albawabah quotes a source in the security services. According to their information, four Belgians were on the diving excursion. The Belgian foreign ministry first confirmed that at least two Belgians were on board and has now also said the two have been found safe and sound.
The governor of the Red Sea earlier reported that the two Belgians had been found alive, along with an Egyptian survivor.
Heavy weather
The Egyptian meteorological office issued a warning about big waves on the Red Sea on Saturday. People were urged to desist from maritime activities last Sunday and today.
A crew member, who survived the sinking, says the boat was hit by a large wave in the middle of the night, causing the boat to capsize.