All 44 passengers on board the Sindbad Submarines vessel were Russian, the country’s embassy in Cairo told the BBC. The vessel, which is said to dive 25 metres deep to examine coral reef and marine life, is understood to have sunk shortly after leaving the shore.
The latest incident raises more issues about the safety of tourist vessels in the Red Sea area. In November, a dive boat – the Sea Story – sank off Marsa Alam, with 11 deaths.
The Foreign Office in February issued a safety warning about accidents involving liveaboard dive vessels following advice from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch.
