Tourist submarine sinks off Egypt’s Red Sea coast, killing at least 6 people, officials say

Cairo — Six tourists died on Thursday when a tourist submarine sank off the resort of Hurghada on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, the provincial governor said. 

The submarine was carrying 45 foreign tourists and five Egyptian crewmembers when it sank, Red Sea governor Maj. Gen. Amr Hanafi, said in a statement, adding that rescue teams were quickly sent.

He said all six of the dead were Russians, and that 29 of the 39 tourists rescued were injured and taken to hospitals. No one was still missing from the vessel, he said. The Russian consulate in Hurghada said the tourists on the sunken vessel were Russian nationals, but Hanafi said the group also included citizens of India, Norway and Sweden.

The governor’s office posted video showing him visiting with some of the survivors at a hospital, including a child and her family.

The state-owned Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper said investigations were underway to determine what caused the accident, the French news agency AFP reported. 

Hurghada, located about 285 miles southeast of the Egyptian capital Cairo, is a major destination for divers, snorkelers and other tourists drawn to the Red Sea’s coral reefs. 

The submarine, named “Sindbad,” runs tours lasting about 40 minutes underwater, cruising at about 20-25 meters (65-80 feet) underwater with panoramic windows on the bottom to give views of the marine life, according to the website of the company that the Russian consulate identified as running the vessel.

In November, a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea after warnings of rough waters, Egyptian officials said. At least four people drowned, while 33 were rescued. Some of the survivors were airlifted from the site for medical treatment, while others were taken aboard rescue vessels.

Tourism is an important sector of Egypt’s economy but many tourist companies have stopped or limited traveling on the Red Sea due to the dangers from conflicts in the region.