Four bodies have reportedly been recovered from a tourist yacht that capsized off Egypt’s Red Sea coast on Monday, Nov. 25.
The bodies were recovered from the Sea Story on the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 26, the Red Sea provincial governor, Amr Hanafi said, per BBC News and German outlet DW News.
The governor did not share where the bodies were located on the boat.
Three people, two Belgians and one Egyptian, were also found alive Tuesday, bringing the total number of rescued passengers to 31, according to multiple outlets.
Stringer/picture alliance via Getty
The update comes as rescue teams continue to search for the people who remain missing after the Sea Story was struck by high waves near the Sataya Reef. The yacht sank within 5-7 minutes as 31 tourists and 13 crew were on board for a five-day diving trip, the Associated Press, BBC News and U.K. newspaper The Times reported.
The 14-metre boat departed from Porto Ghalib in Marsa Alam on Sunday, Nov. 24, and was due to arrive at Hurghada Marina on Friday, Nov. 29, per The Telegraph and Reuters.
A distress signal was sent out to the Red Sea governorate at approximately 5:30 a.m. local time after the 14-metre boat had departed Marsa Alam, according to the outlets.
Hanafi confirmed that the boat had passed its most recent safety inspection with no technical issues in March, per Reuters.
The Egyptian Meteorological Authority warned the boat about the high waves on the Red Sea for Sunday and Monday on Saturday, Nov. 23, according to reports.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
An earlier report from the BBC stated there were 14 crew members onboard the Sea Story who were all Egyptian. The 31 tourists were American, British, Spanish, German, Slovakian, Swiss, Belgian, Polish, Norwegian, Irish, Finnish and Chinese nationals, according to the outlet.
It was previously reported that 28 people were immediately rescued after the incident, per multiple outlets.
According to the yacht’s maker Dive Pro Liveaboard, the Sea Story was built in 2022 as a four-deck vessel and registered in Safaga, Egypt. There were life jackets stored in each cabin and two safety rafts onboard available to carry 25 people each.
Dive Pro Liveaboard did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
A tourist who was onboard the boat told U.K. newspaper The Sun, “It was pitch black and the water was all around us. I tried to swim up but the current was so strong I felt like I was suffocating. What saved me was my life jacket that kept me on the surface until rescue teams arrived.”
A diver who witnessed the incident while in the water also told the outlet, “I was on the surface when things started to go wrong. I felt the boat tilting sharply, and I tried to hold on to something stable, but the capsizing was very fast. I heard screams from inside the cabins, but many were unable to get out because the doors were closed and the place was filled with water.”
Read the full article here
