Three British tourists who went missing after an Egyptian diving boat caught fire have died, a tour operator has confirmed.
Scuba Travel, who chartered the boat, announced that the three Brits had ‘perished in the tragic incident’ which took place off the coast of Marsa Alam yesterday morning.
Footage on social media showed the tour boat transform into a floating inferno as its stern became ravaged with flames and black smoke erupted from the ship.
Video showed terrified tourists jumping from the ship, which had 29 people on board at the time, into the water to escape after a suspected electrical fault in the engine room caused it go up in flames.
As fears grew for the missing Brits, a spokesman for Scuba Travel told Sky News today: ‘It is with great regret that we, as tour operator, with heavy hearts, must accept that three of our much -valued dive guests, perished in the tragic incident.
‘Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to their families and friends at this very sad time.’
This is the heart-stopping moment passengers jump from an Egyptian tourist boat engulfed by flames
Rescue services were alerted to the fire after blaze was said to have started in the engine room because of an electrical circuit
Three British tourists have died after a boat caught fire during a diving trip
Shocking footage showed the boat’s stern being ravaged with flames as black smoke erupted from the ship
The tour boat company said that the three passengers were among 15 qualified diving enthusiasts who were on board the ‘Hurricane’ boat for a week-long trip when the fire broke out at around 6.30am UK time.
‘At the time the fire broke out, 12 divers were participating in a briefing on board, while those missing had apparently decided not to dive that morning,’ the company added.
Scuba Travel said that due to to the severity of the blaze, 12 divers were evacuated immediately to a nearby craft, while the 14 crew members had to abandon the ship after trying to reach the missing guests.
In total, 26 passengers were rescued, with 12 of them being British and the other 14 thought to be Egyptian. Egyptian police said the people rescued had no injuries and were in good health.
Cops said the crew rescued suffered no injuries and were taken to shore in good health.
A full investigation is set to be carried out by local authorities to determine what caused the fire, while the boat itself cools down ahead of being towed to a port.
The cruiser left Port Ghalib in the eastern city of Marsa Alam on June 6, and was meant to return yesterday.
It was said to be one of the Tornado Marine Fleet tours, which offers ‘Luxury Red Sea Liveaboards’ for just under £1,500 per trip.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said yesterday: ‘We are in contact with local authorities following an incident aboard a dive boat near Marsa Alam, and are supporting British nationals involved.’
MailOnline has contacted the Foreign Office for an updated comment.
Cops said the crew rescued suffered no injuries and were taken to shore in good health
Pictured: The scuba diving ship moored at Daedalus Reef in the Red Sea, Egypt, before the blaze
The Red Sea Governorate said: ‘The initial examination resulted in an electrical short circuit in the engine room, and the investigation authorities went to conduct an inspection and investigation.’
It added: ‘[The Secretary General] pointed out that the crew and passengers were rescued by the boat named ‘Blue’ and returned to central Marsa Alam, and a search is still underway for three British passengers by the concerned authorities and other boats, stressing that the Ambulance Authority and the Directorate of Health Affairs have been notified to raise the level of readiness and follow-up is underway.’
A diving enthusiast who was on the same ship, the Hurricane, in May, said the boat was plagued with problems and no one was surprised the blaze had happened.
He told MailOnline: ‘[We had] recurring issues from the week of 1 and 8 May. ‘There was no nitrox on board. They should have had it but they never told us.
‘The toilets and the showers weren’t working properly.’
He added: ‘There was some issue below the decks. They were pumping something out but it was coming up my toilet.
‘The crew work very hard – they don’t get paid a lot – but the boat has seen better days.
‘I was in cabin six in the bow so I wouldn’t have wanted to get out from there.
‘None of us are surprised that [the blaze] happened.’
Egypt’s Red Sea resorts harbour some of the country’s most renowned beach destinations and are popular with European holidaymakers.
It has cemented its reputation as a dive destination with easy access to coral reefs from shores and dive sites offering diverse marine life.
