A tourist submarine, owned by Sindbad Submarines, sank off the coast of Hurghada, a popular Red Sea resort city in Egypt, killing at least six Russian nationals on board. The incident occurred during a routine underwater sightseeing tour.
The vessel, designed to take tourists underwater to view coral reefs and marine life, sank approximately 1 kilometer offshore. Despite efforts by the crew to surface and evacuate passengers, the vessel quickly sank at about 10 am local time (08:00 GMT). The submarine was carrying a total of 50 people – 45 tourists and five Egyptian crew members.
Among the tourists were nationals from Russia, Norway, Sweden, and India. The names of the six deceased, including four adults and two children, have not yet been released pending notification of relatives. All of the remaining 39 tourists and five crew members have been rescued, with 29 individuals sustaining injuries.
Neither Egyptian nor Russian officials have attributed any specific reason for the vessel’s sinking. Investigations are ongoing, but the Association of Tour Operators of Russia posted on Telegram that the submarine struck a reef while about 20 meters below the surface and began to lose pressure.
Survivors have corroborated this account, stating that water flooded the vessel as passengers scrambled to reach the surface. Egypt launched an emergency search and rescue operation led by the Red Sea governorate and the Egyptian coastguard, with divers dispatched to the site within the hour.
Sindbad Submarines is part of a rapidly expanding underwater tourism industry worth $36 billion in 2017. Companies advertise underwater tours in submarines and submersibles, but experts have raised concerns about regulating the industry’s growth.
The incident spotlighted concerns about tourism safety standards in Egypt, especially for popular Red Sea excursions. Sindbad Submarines, which operates two tourist submarines, has yet to make a statement regarding the incident.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/28/six-killed-in-red-sea-tourist-submarine-sinking-off-egypt-what-we-know?traffic_source=rss
