An Egyptian diver who took part in a rescue operation that scoured the wreckage of a tourist boat that sank in the Red Sea has described how he found his nephew among the passengers still alive on the boat.
Rescuers on Tuesday found five survivors in the boat and four bodies. On the third day of the search, seven people are missing.
“We sank 12m (40ft) under water – the survivors were trapped in boats,” Khattab al-Faramawy told the BBC.
They had been on the boat for more than 24 hours after it sank in a huge wave near Marsa Alam on Egypt’s east coast on Monday.
Mr. al-Faramawy described the difficulty of searching the underwater boat to find the passengers and crew.
“We used flashlights to find our way in the dark, it was a very difficult task,” he said.
After some time, they opened the doors of the cabin to let the survivors out.
His nephew was one of them. Youssef, 23, works as a diving instructor.
“They wanted to rescue the passengers but they were locked in one room,” his father Hussam al-Faramawy told the BBC by phone.
“I didn’t do anything but pray to God to help my son, and I’m thankful his uncle finally saved him.”
Hussam al-Faramawy said he cried when he heard that his son had survived.
“I could not tell his mother what happened to the boat, he would have died immediately, I only told her when I found out that he survived,” he said.
Youssef is currently receiving treatment at a nearby hospital, as are other survivors. A total of 33 of the 44 people who boarded the Lake Nyanja have been rescued so far.
Officials have not yet released details of the victims and the missing. The BBC understands that two of the missing are British nationals.
Diving instructor Youssef al-Faramawy was rescued from the boat by his uncle [Family photo]
The Egyptian navy is in charge of the rescue operation and the army has blocked the survivors from hearing the media.
Local authorities posted videos of the rescue operation that showed survivors wrapped in blankets – including one on a stretcher – being brought ashore.
The unnamed survivor is seen saying she was “shaking and freezing” before being rescued.
The 44m Sea Story left the port near Marsa Alam on Sunday for a five-day diving trip. It is believed to have been hit by a storm on Sunday night, with Red Sea governor Maj-Gen Amr Hanafi saying it sank within five to seven minutes.
Egypt’s Meteorological Authority warned of high tides on the Red Sea and advised against sea activities on Sunday and Monday.
Egyptian officials said the ship had a valid safety certificate and was understood to have no technical problems.
Diving trips and cruises are major attractions for tourists visiting Egypt’s Red Sea resorts. Marsa Alam, where the boat left, is a popular destination among European tourists, due to its clean water, sunny weather and good marine life.
According to the Marsa Alam council, the passengers were from Belgium, the UK, China, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the US.
Among the missing are two Polish tourists, according to the foreign ministry in Warsaw.
A spokesman for the UK Foreign Office said it was “providing support to a number of British nationals and their families following the incident in Egypt”.
China’s ambassador to Egypt says his two children are “well” after being rescued.
[BBC]
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