Although authorities have not yet notified about the cause of the sinking of the tourist submarine in the Red Sea, off the coast of Hurghada in Egypt, several survivors have already begun to testify about the terrifying nature of their experience.
The submarine was carrying five Indian crew members and 45 tourists of different nationalities, including Russians, Indians, Swedes, and Norwegians, but it started to sink about a thousand meters off the coast. Six tourists died, the remaining 39 were rescued, and 29 were injured.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that the provincial governor indicated that the deceased were Russians, including two children.
The Mirror published the testimony of several survivors of the Egyptian submarine. Elena Boldareva’s account is disturbing. She mentioned that the submarine started diving with its hatches open. People were struggling to get out. “Some managed to swim, others didn’t,” said the woman, who indicated that her daughter and mother were seriously injured.
Boldareva expressed that everyone on board was trying to save themselves as best they could, and as they swam to survive, the surrounding boats were approaching to help them.
Agreeing with the version of the open hatches, another passenger of the Egyptian submarine recounted that “when my family and I were standing on a pontoon about to board the submarine, the submarine suddenly started to sink, even though the hatches were open.” He added that “the man in charge of the cargo shouted ‘stop, stop, stop’ and began pushing us towards the pontoon.”
Possible causes of the sinking of the Egyptian submarine
Although it is not clear what caused the submarine to sink, The Mirror reported that according to Russian media, it is believed that the ship hit a coral reef and experienced a “depressurization.”
The aforementioned media outlet highlighted that there are online reviews praising the security and good treatment of travelers on the Egyptian submarine. However, they emphasize the opinion of a Bridgend critic published on TripAdvisor in October 2024, who said that it is not good to hit the submersible at the bottom of the sea.