A recreational submarine operating in the Red Sea near the Egyptian coast has sunk, leaving six Russian tourists dead.
The submarine, which was cruising near the town of Hurghada, had 45 tourists on board during the incident. The provincial governor of the Red Sea, Maj. Gen. Amr Hanafi said the remaining tourists were rescued; however, more than two dozen were injured.
According to the Russian consulate, the submarine was just over half a mile from the shore when it sank. The cause of the submarine failure was not immediately known and is under investigation.
In a statement, Hanafi said the submarine was also carrying five Egyptian crewmembers when the disaster struck. Disaster teams were rapidly sent to the site of the sinking, according to the governor.
The operator’s website, Sinbad Submarines, claims the operation has two of “only 14 real recreational submarines in the world.” The company prominently promotes the operations’ quality standards, saying they employ submarines “engineered in Finland to sustain underwater pressure up to 75m, ensuring safety and reliability.”
In 2023, a private submarine-like craft operating off the coast of Newfoundland was taking a group to see the wreckage of the Titanic. All five passengers and crew aboard died when the OceansGate Expeditions craft imploded thousands of feet below sea level.
The Sinbad excursions are relatively short jaunts out near the coast, lasting around 40 minutes. The submarines usually cruise roughly 65-80 feet below the surface, giving passengers panoramic views of the surrounding marine life.
At least two of the deceased tourists are children, according to Russia’s Tass news agency. The Russian consulate said all tourists aboard the submarine were Russian citizens, but according to the Red Sea governor, Norwegian, Indian, and Swedish citizens were also onboard.
Last November, another incident in the region left four people drowned after a tourist yacht sank while navigating choppy waters in the Red Sea. The remaining 33 passengers survived.