CAIRO: Rescuers on Tuesday recovered five survivors and four bodies from a dive boat that capsized off Egypt’s eastern coast a day earlier, Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi said.
A military-led team rescued two Belgians, one Swiss national, one Finnish tourist and one Egyptian, the governor said, bringing the total number of survivors from the accident to 33.
The “Sea Story” had been carrying 31 tourists of multiple nationalities and a 13-member crew when it was hit by a large wave near Marsa Alam in southeastern Egypt early on Monday, causing it to capsize.
The four bodies recovered on Tuesday have not yet been identified, and seven people are still missing after 28 were rescued on Monday.
A government source close to rescue operations said the five survivors were found on Tuesday morning inside the boat, which the governor said had been thrown on its side by an early morning wave but had not completely sunk.
“They were found inside one of the rooms which had not filled with water,” the government source told AFP, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
The group had spent at least 24 hours in the overturned vessel after authorities first received distress calls at 5:30 AM (0330 GMT) on Monday.
“Rescue operations are ongoing today, supported by a military helicopter and a frigate in addition to multiple divers,” the Red Sea governor told AFP Tuesday, declining to provide any further details about the operation.
The four bodies recovered on Tuesday were also located inside the stricken vessel.
The boat had embarked on a multi-day diving trip on Sunday and had been due to dock on Friday at the town of Hurghada, 200 kilometers (124 miles) north.
The governor on Monday said it capsized “suddenly and quickly within 5-7 minutes” of the impact with the wave, leaving some passengers — among them European, Chinese and American tourists — unable to set out of their cabins in time.
Rescuers from the military and a passing tourist boat pulled 28 people from the water on Monday.
According to a source at a hospital in Marsa Alam, six tourists and three Egyptians were admitted with minor injuries and discharged on Monday.
The tourists included “two Germans, two Britons, one Spaniard and one Swiss national,” the hospital administrator told AFP, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
According to the governor’s office, the boat was carrying tourists from Belgium, Britain, China, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.
Among the missing are two Polish tourists and one from Finland, according to both countries’ foreign ministries.
Authorities in Egypt have said the vessel was fully licensed and had passed all inspection checks. A preliminary investigation showed no technical fault.
There were at least two similar boat accidents in the Marsa Alam area earlier this year, but no fatalities.
The Red Sea coast is a major tourist destination in Egypt, a country of 107 million that is in the grip of a serious economic crisis.
Nationally, the tourism sector employs two million people and generates more than 10 percent of its GDP.
Dozens of dive boats crisscross between Red Sea coral reefs and islands off Egypt’s eastern coast every day, where safety regulations are robust but unevenly enforced.
Earlier this month, 30 people were rescued from a sinking dive boat near the Red Sea’s Daedalus reef.
In June, two dozen French tourists were evacuated safely before their boat sank in a similar accident.
Last year, three British tourists died when a fire broke out on their yacht.
Survivors, bodies recovered from capsized Red Sea tourist boat
https://arab.news/2xet4
Survivors, bodies recovered from capsized Red Sea tourist boat
- Team rescued two Belgians, one Swiss national, one Finnish tourist and one Egyptian, governor said, bringing the total number of survivors from the accident to 33
‘Speed over scale’: Saudi Arabia positioned to shape future of industry, say experts
- WEF p anelists also discussed how global industrial forces are evolving
DAVOS: Saudi Arabia is primed to position itself at the forefront of the global industrial transformation, leveraging its scale, strategic vision, and competitive energy infrastructure to become a leader in sectors such as clean industries and advanced technologies, experts said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Rayan Fayez, deputy CEO at NEOM, highlighted how the Kingdom’s industrial city, Oxagon, is driving diversification and clean manufacturing.
The city is already home to several key sectors, including green hydrogen, renewable manufacturing and AI data centers.
The world’s largest green hydrogen project, a collaboration with ACWA Power and Air Products, is 90 percent complete and expected to be operational by 2027, Fayez said.
Renewable manufacturing partnerships are also taking off, with Chinese companies establishing solar and wind production outside China for the first time.
Fayez highlighted that NEOM’s success rests on four core competitive advantages: digital infrastructure, abundant renewable energy, ready-to-use land and strategic location.
“The location is not only strategic for the Kingdom, but also in connection to the rest of the world through the port of NEOM,” he said, adding that the city is poised to serve as a hub for both domestic and export-oriented industries.
Panelists also discussed how global industrial forces are evolving.
Frederico Torti from the WEF highlighted the structural volatility in supply chains, driven by geopolitics, technological change, natural disasters, cybersecurity risks and talent shortages.
He highlighted the importance of agility, collaboration and holistic operational transformation.
“The only way to make this happen is through collaboration, dialogue, and cooperation across public and private sectors,” he said.
Saudi Arabia’s strategic position, combined with its low-cost energy and infrastructure readiness, make it a magnet for industrial investment, Torti said.
“Countries that invest in the right factors will attract manufacturing investments and create value for the next decade,” he said, pointing to NEOM as a prime example of this approach.
ACWA Power CEO Marco Arcelli highlighted why Saudi Arabia is a compelling market for gigascale renewable energy and water desalination projects.
“In a world of uncertainty, Saudi Arabia is a country where you can really smell the hope,” he said.
“It speaks with China and the US, with Russia and Ukraine, with Europe and Southeast Asia and Africa, and looks to partner to solve problems and to develop domestically but also abroad.”
ACWA Power is now the largest water desalination company in the world, with operations across the Middle East and new projects in Azerbaijan, Senegal and China, he added.
Arcelli highlighted the water-energy nexus, where low-cost renewable power enables large-scale, sustainable desalination.
“Countries that are moving faster in these sectors are typically countries that will enjoy higher economic growth,” he said.
Looking ahead, panelists highlighted that the future of competitiveness will rely less on scale and more on speed and collaboration.
“You cannot be good at everything,” Arcelli said. “It’s going to be more about cooperation. It’s an economy of speed, not economy of scale anymore to thrive and be the best around.”
Torti reiterated the need for cross-border partnerships and dialogue, adding: “Open up, connect and make best use of forums like this to get different perspectives on solving problems. Collaboration is invaluable.”
Fayez added that investing in talent remains a critical element to drive industrial transformation in the Kingdom as well as globally, alongside infrastructure and technology.
