Egyptian state-owned news outlet Akhbar Al-Youm reports that six people are confirmed dead while 19 others suffered injuries after a submarine being used for underwater sightseeing tours sank in the Red Sea on Thursday, March 27.
The recreational vessel, which was operated by local tour company Sindbad Submarines, was off the coast of the Egyptian tourist city of Hurghada with 44 passengers on board when the incident occurred.
The six deceased victims and the survivors were later pulled out of the water by responding emergency services personnel. The deceased and the injured have since been brought to various hospitals in Hurghada.
Local authorities have meanwhile launched an investigation to identify the events that led to the mishap.
Reuters said that the Russian consulate in Hurghada confirmed that the submarine's passengers at the time of the incident, including the deceased, were all Russian nationals.
The submarine was one of two being operated by Sindbad. Both vessels have a rated maximum depth of 25 metres and were being used only for short trips just off the coast.
The Red Sea is a major hub for Egypt's crucial tourism industry, a pillar of the economy, in which Russian tourists play an increasing part. Egypt also attracts tourists with its great pyramids of Giza and cruises on the Nile in Luxor and Aswan.
Successive Egyptian governments have waged successful crackdowns on Islamist militant groups who hurt the tourism industry with attacks on foreigners in the past.
Egyptian authorities are conducting investigations with crew members to determine the causes of the submarine sinking, the local governorate cited Red Sea Province Governor Amr Hanafy as saying.
The submarine, which is owned by an Egyptian, was licensed and so was the crew captain, he said.
Thursday's incident came just five months after the November 26, 2024 loss of the dive boat Sea Story, which also occurred in the Red Sea off Egypt and had claimed eleven lives.