March 28th, (Prime Africa) A tourist submarine sank on Thursday during a routine underwater sightseeing tour off the coast of Hurghada, a popular Red Sea resort city in Egypt, killing at least six Russian nationals on board.
The vessel, which is owned by a private tourism company, Sindbad Submarines, was designed to take tourists underwater to view coral reefs and marine life – a major attraction in the area.
Here’s what we know about what happened, about those on board — and why the submarine might have sunk.
Neither Egyptian nor Russian officials have attributed any specific reason for the vessel’s sinking, and investigations are continuing.
But the Association of Tour Operators of Russia posted on Telegram that the submarine had struck a reef while about 20m (65 feet) below the surface of the sea and that it then began to lose pressure.
Water pushes from high pressure to low-pressure regions, so if the inside of the vessel lost pressure, the likelihood of the seawater flooding in would have risen. Despite efforts by the crew to surface and evacuate passengers, the vessel quickly sank at about 10am local time (08:00 GMT).
According to authorities, the vessel sank approximately 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) offshore from Hurghada, Egypt. Hurghada lies about 480 kilometres (300 miles) southeast of the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
The Red Sea is a major hub for Egypt’s tourism industry — in turn a vital pillar of the country’s economy. Russian tourists making up a growing portion of visitors.
According to Egyptian statistics, around 380,000 Russian tourists visited Hurghada between January and August in 2024. However, Egypt’s Red Sea resort towns have also witnessed boating accidents in recent years.
In June 2024, two dozen French tourists were rescued after their boat capsized near Marsa Alam, another popular destination for tourists. Five months later, in November, 30 people were rescued from a sinking boat near Daedalus Reef, about 90km (56 miles) from Marsa Alam.
The Sindbad vessel was carrying a total of 50 people – 45 tourists and 5 Egyptian crew members – at the time of the incident, Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi said in a statement. Russia’s consulate in Hurghada also confirmed the submarine was carrying 45 tourists.
Among the tourists were nationals from Russia, Norway, Sweden and India.
Six people died, including four adults and two children, all of whom were identified as Russian nationals by Hanafi. Authorities have not released all of their names pending notification of relatives, but Russian media confirmed that the victims included members of the same family who had been holidaying in Egypt.
Egyptian officials suggested a married doctor couple were also among those who died.
All of the remaining 39 tourists and five crew members have been rescued – no one is missing.
But among them, 29 individuals sustained injuries. While most injuries were categorised as nonlife-threatening, such as bruises, cuts, and mild hypothermia, four individuals remain in critical condition and are in the intensive care unit, according to Hanafi.
According to survivors, water flooded the vessel and passengers scrambled to reach the surface.
Elena Boldareva said the submarine began to dive with hatches open, according to Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper.
People saved themselves as best they could, Boldareva said, adding: “Some managed to swim out, some didn’t.”
Boldareva and her husband managed to swim out, but her daughter and mother were taken to the hospital in a serious condition.
They were among the dozens transferred to Hurghada General Hospital for treatment and further observation.
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