Three British citizens who were on a boat that caught fire in the Red Sea are being sought by police.
In Marsa Alam, twelve visitors were saved from a boat carrying 27 people. According to local authorities, the boat was carrying 15 British tourists, 10 crew members, and two guides.
Authorities say that 26 passengers, including 12 British nationals, were confirmed to be safe, but they are still seeking for the other three.
Around 6.30 a.m. local time this morning, the fire was reported to have caught fire. This alerted the rescue services to the situation.
The boat left from Port Ghalib in the eastern city of Marsa Alam on June 6 and was due to return back home today.
According to local media, the boat was taking part in a cruise in the Red Sea that was planning a diving trip.
Tourist boat bursts into flames during diving trip in Red Sea
Rescue services were alerted to the fire after reports part of the boat had caught alight.
It added that initial reports suggested the fire was the result of an electrical fault.
Footage on social media appeared to show the boat almost entirely engulfed in flames and smoke.
‘We saw smoke from the boat, it was around 9km from the beach, said Ahmed Maher, a diving manager at Marsa Shagra village, according to Reuters.
Police said the crew rescued suffered no injuries and were taken to shore in good health.
A spokesperson for Tornado Marine Fleet, the company which owns the boat, said: ‘Today at 6.30am at Elphinstone, while doing the diving briefing, Hurricane caught fire.
‘We do have three missing British passengers and all others… reached the nearest land safely.
‘Now we are bringing the boat back to the marina under authority supervision.’
The fire was spotted on Sunday morning and in a statement from the Red Sea Governorate, its secretary general Major General Mohamed Bandari confirmed the accident was the result of a fire on the boat, which was named the Hurricane.
The statement added: ‘He [Mr Bandari] pointed out that the crew and passengers were rescued by the boat named Blue and returned to central Marsa Alam, and a search is still underway for three British passengers by the concerned authorities and other boats, stressing that the Ambulance Authority and the Directorate of Health Affairs have been notified to raise the level of readiness and follow-up is under way.’
The Tornado Marine Fleet, which owns the Hurricane vessel, said the boat caught fire at 6.30am ‘while doing the diving briefing’.
It said it was now bringing the boat back to the marina under authority supervision.
An FCDO spokesperson said: ‘We are in contact with local authorities following an incident aboard a dive boat near Marsa Alam, and are supporting British nationals involved.’
The Red Sea Governorate said: ‘The initial examination resulted in an electrical short circuit in the engine room, and the investigation authorities went to conduct an inspection and investigation.’