Five people rescued and four bodies recovered after tourist boat sinks off Egypt

As rescuers continue their search for survivors, five people have been found alive after a boat capsized off the coast of Egypt, as ITV News' Graham Stothard reports

The Egyptian Navy has rescued five people and recovered the bodies of four others after a tourist boat sank off the Red Sea coast on Monday.

A Finnish national, two Belgian nationals and one Egyptian were among those found alive during the search on Tuesday, governor of the Red Sea region Major General Amr Hanafi announced.

The four bodies are yet to be identified.

A total of 33 people have been rescued, and the navy is continuing to search for seven people who remain missing after the tourist yacht Sea Story sank off the coast near Marsa Alam.

Two Brits are reportedly among those missing, and the Foreign Office said it is providing support to "a number of British nationals and their families”. They have not yet been identified.

The yacht was carrying 44 people, including 31 foreign nationals from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain and Ireland.

A distress call was made from the yacht shortly before dawn on Monday.

The Governor said the initial cause of the accident was a large wave that caused the boat to capsize. He added that the boat had no technical defects and that the correct licences had been obtained.

The Egyptian Meteorological Authority had previously warned of high waves on the Red Sea and advised against maritime activity on Sunday and Monday.

Armed forces are searching the area in coordination with the Maritime Rescue Center and the governorate's operations room, Major General Hanafi said.

He confirmed that the rescued survivors are receiving medical care and are in "good health". The yacht was operated by Dive Pro Liveaboard, which is based in the Egyptian resort of Hurghada.

According to its website, the Sea Story was built in 2022 and can hold 36 passengers. The company said it has no information on the matter.

Marsa Alam is a popular destination for tourists embarking on diving holidays, as it is near large areas with coral reefs.

Three Britons died in June last year when the diving boat they were on burst into flames off Marsa Alam.

The fire was caused by a suspected electrical fault.

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