Cairo – State media reported that six tourists died when a tourist submarine sank at the Helgada resort on the coast of Egypt’s Red Sea. The website of the state-owned Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper said the deceased were all foreigners, adding that 19 people were injured.
The newspaper said an investigation was underway to determine what caused the accident, and the report said the injured were transported to a nearby hospital along with the dead body.
Hurghada is a bustling tourist city located about 285 miles southeast of Cairo, the Egyptian capital, and is the main destination for tourists to Egypt.
The Red Sea reefs and islands near Egypt’s eastern coast are the main attraction, creating 2 million people for the country’s important tourism industry and generating more than 10% of GDP.
Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu/Getty
According to Akhbar al-Youm, while dozens of tourist ships sailed along the coast for snorkeling and diving activities every day, the Sindbard Submarine’s website said the company deployed the “only real” entertainment submarine in the region.
Reuters quoted the Russian consulate in Helgada as saying that the tourists on the sunken ship were Russian nationals.
