Hungarian tourist on board at luxury-boat accident near Egypt

A Hungarian woman was on board during a boat accident off the coast of Egypt on 26 June, contrary to initial statements on the scene. The crew and all 24 tourists travelling on the vessel were successfully rescued, but the ship itself could not be saved after it hit a coral reef. The Egyptian Environment Minister announced that a thorough investigation will be launched to establish the cause of the accident and its environmental impact.

Telex has learned that, despite initial reports in June that only French guests were on board, a Hungarian woman was travelling on the liveaboard boat that sank on 26 June near Marsa Alam, Egypt. The 36-year-old Hungarian doctor, like the other tourists and crew on deck, escaped unhurt. After the accident, the doctor messaged her sister,

“Don’t worry, I’m alive, but the ship sank.”

A diving holiday that almost ended in tragedy

The accident took place at the Sataya Reef, which is one of Egypt’s most popular sites for divers. The passengers on the cruise ship were planning to spend a week on the liveaboard ship taking part in a diving holiday.

According to reports, the boat accident was brought on by large waves which caused the Exocet, a 40-metre-long vessel, to strike the surrounding coral reef. The ship sustained significant damage from the impact and began to sink. Fortunately, the divers and crew onboard were evacuated and transferred to other nearby vessels, and everyone returned safely to Marsa Alam. As the collision happened in the evening hours, according to Telex, it took nine hours in the dark for the rescue to finish.

However, the tourists’ personal belongings, including their valuable diving equipment, had to be left on board during the rescue. Although the next day local divers went back to salvage what they could, the equipment was not recovered. The sister of the Hungarian doctor on the ship told Telex,