According to the spokesperson for the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Paweł Wroński, the Polish diplomatic mission in Egypt is in constant contact with local authorities regarding the ongoing rescue operation being carried out by the border guard, naval units, and aircraft.
The families of the missing Poles are being regularly updated on the situation.
The spokesperson explained that the ship capsized not due to a collision with a coral reef, as initially suspected, but because of a large wave. The ship sank within 5 to 7 minutes.
It is known that most of the passengers were experienced divers participating in a diving expedition, and the boat they were on had been regularly rented for such underwater expeditions.
Rescue services were alerted to the sinking of the 34-meter boat with more than 40 people of various nationalities on board at around 4:30 AM Polish time. 28 people have been rescued, while the others are still missing.
The ship had set out from the Port Ghalib area for a several-day diving trip, which was scheduled to end on Friday in the port of Hurghada. The last technical inspection of the vessel was conducted in March 2024, and no issues were reported at that time.
According to Sky News, three bodies have been recovered so far. Reuters reports that, according to Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi, 13 people are still reported missing.
Source: IAR/Reuters/RVP Info/TVN24/Sky News/X/@khalediskef
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