WORLD NEWS – 6 Russian tourists dead after submarine sinks in the Red Sea in Egypt

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

A recreational submarine tour in Egypt turned deadly leaving six of the 45 tourists on board dead. The tour was an underwater cruise of coral reefs in the Red Sea that sank off the Egyptian resort town of Hurghada. The incident left six Russians dead and more than two dozen injured, although those who were injured were rescued. 

The cause of the sinking was not immediately known, and the Russian consulate said it took place 0.6 miles offshore. The submarine was carrying 445 tourists and five Egyptian crewmembers when it sank, the Red Sea Governor Major General Amr Hanafi, said in a statement.  He added that rescue teams were quickly deployed to the area. Hurghada is a major destination for divers, snorkelers, and their tourists are generally drawn to the Red Sea’s extensive coral reefs. The company operating the submarine has not yet commented on the incident.