Two children among dead on submarine ‘carrying 45 Russian tourists’ in Egypt

Two children have died after a tourist submarine with 45 Russian citizens on board sank off the coast of Egypt.

The bodies of six passengers were pulled to the coast of Hurghada, a city on the Red Sea coast, after ‘Sindbad’ capsized at around 10am today.

Viktor Voropaev, a Russian official told TASS news agency that two of the six people who died in the incident were minors.

Anaesthetist Ravil Valiullin, 40, and his wife Kristina, 39, a children’s doctor, were killed on the vessel, while daughters – aged 10 and 15 – survived and are now in hospital.

Four passengers out of the nine injured are understood to be in critical condition and fighting for their life.

At least 39 people have been rescued after the boat sank less than a mile from the Egyptian shore. It is unclear how many crew members were on board.

‘All passengers are Russian’

A statement from the Russian consulate said: ‘In addition to crew, there were 45 tourists on board, including minors.

‘All of them are Russian citizens, tourists of the “Biblio Globus” company.

‘According to initial data, most of the passengers on board were rescued and taken to their hotels and hospitals in Hurghada. Their health is not a cause for concern.

‘Diplomats of the General Consulate are on the pier of the “Sindbad” hotel.’

The group had paid for a sea trip to inspect the coral reefs in the Red Sea, which is infested with sharks.

The vessel capsized in front of the marina of one of the famous hotels in Hurghada.

Sindbad has been running tourist trips in the area for several years, but it is unclear if there are previous incidents on record.

Semi-submarine tours – involving a special boat designed for underwater sightseeing – have been running in the area for years.

Unlike a traditional submarine, it does not fully submerge and passengers can observe marine life from the lower deck.

Not the first fatal incident in Hurghada

This is also not the first fatal incident involving tourist boats in Hurghada.

A tourist boat called the ‘Sea Story’ capsized, leaving 11 dead or missing – including a British couple – back in November.

Over the last five years, there have been 16 incidents involving liveaboard dive vessels operating in the Red Sea.

Three liveaboard dive boats have been lost in the last 21 months, which all resulted in numerous deaths including some UK nationals. 

Chief inspector of marine accidents, Andrew Moll OBE, stressed that such vessels are unlikely to be built, maintained, equipped, and operated to the ‘standard of similar vessels in the UK’.

He urged British travellers to exercise ‘extreme caution’ when choosing a boat.

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