The four-deck Sea Story had been carrying 31 passengers and 13 crew when it was reported to have been hit by a large wave near the town of Marsa Alam during storm weather, causing it to capsize.
The resort town is a popular destination for tourists on Egypt’s southern Red Sea coast surrounded by diving spots, including renowned coral reefs.
There were tourists onboard from Belgium, Britain, China, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the US. Thirty-three people have been rescued and four bodies were recovered.
In a phone call from Devon, Michael revealed how Tariq’s mother broke the news of the sinking to the family.
“Tariq’s mother messaged us that the Sea Story sank in the Red Sea and asked me if I knew the name of the boat,” he recalled.
Jenny’s mother Pamela knew the name and had a picture of the boat as the couple, both experienced scuba divers, had contacted them when they arrived at the Red Sea.
“Your heart sinks. You ask yourself, have I misread the news? Let’s look again,” she said.
Pamela said the family are continuing to receive daily updates from the Foreign Office but complains there is “still no news”.
Because of a lack of solid information, the family said they approached local sources in Egypt for news of their loved ones.
“One of the local sources was kind enough to try and look for them in local hospitals,” Pamela adds.
The family say they were told the boat had not been found, but then came across media reports that it had been located by Egyptian rescuers.
Five of the survivors who were pulled out alive on Tuesday had reportedly been rescued from inside the boat cabins. A diver told the BBC earlier in the week that they had to put a lot of effort to get into the largely submerged Sea Story, open the cabin and get the five survivors, as well as four bodies out.
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