Six people died after a tourist submarine sank in Egypt’s Red Sea.
Local officials said that 39 people were rescued after the ship sank around 10:00 local time. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the ship hit the reef and lost pressure.
Authorities said there were two married doctors, including the dead, whose daughters remained in the hospital. Tass, a Russian official said the other two died were children.
This is the second incident involving a Red Sea tourist boat in recent months. In November, a ship tilted on a ship near Marsa Allam left 11 missing people and presumably dead.
Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafy said the passengers of Sindhbad were from Russia, India, Norway and Sweden. Five Egyptian crew members were on board as well.
Mr Hanafi said the six dead were all Russians, but all details of the victims have not been released.
An investigation into the incident is underway, but Russia’s Association of Travel Agency cited unconfirmed reports in a telegram post that the submarine struck the reef and then put pressure on the depth of 20 meters (65 feet).
Hurghada City is located in the southeast of Cairo, a tourist destination known for its beaches and coral reefs.
Dr. James Aldridge from Bristol made the same trip on the submarine in February 2025. He told the BBC: “The submarine is well maintained, as shown in the promotional photos.
“Fresh paint, modern equipment, and professional and professional English-speaking staff (including two divers accompany you).
He explained that the passengers were given safety briefings recorded in multiple languages and said that life jackets were not issued.
He added: “We visited the reef for 40 minutes. In the first 20 cases where I was facing the reef, the submarine never wandered ‘too close’ and I never felt unsafe. For the return trip, I faced the ocean.”
