Two Britons believed to be Egypt boat survivors are pictured as search continues

Two Britons were among those rescued on the Sea Story tourist yacht on Monday, according to The Times.

Colin Sharratt and Sally Jones are believed to be survivors of the capsized yacht, having been rescued along with 26 others on Monday.

According to a friend of the pair, who said on Facebook he had spotted that they survived after “seeing them on TV”, Mr Sharratt and Ms Jones are seasoned sailors who have voyaged around the world during their retirement.

But two other Britons are among those who are not yet accounted for, with most reports suggesting that they are among the seven still missing, rather than the four dead who remain unidentified in the media.

A diver has revealed incredible details of the operation to rescue survivors in a tourist yacht that sank in the Red Sea, as the search for seven people who remain missing continued for its third day.

Khattab al-Faramawy, a professional licensed diver whose nephew was on board the Sea Story boat, recalled finding survivors “trapped inside the boat cabins” around 24 hours after the vessel had sunk.

The Sea Story sank in the early hours of Monday morning after sending a distress signal at 5:30am. On board the boat were 44 people, including 31 passengers – two of them British – and 13 crew members.

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Not especially – except for Houthi activity – but there can be some intense thunderstorms.

The Foreign Office warns: “Overcrowding and poor safety standards have caused accidents on Red Sea ferries and Nile cruises.”

In June 2023 three British tourists died in a fire aboard another dive boat, Hurricane, close to the spot Sea Story sank.

Four Britons are among dozens of people feared missing after a tourist yacht was “hit by a wave” and sank off the coast of Egypt on Monday (25 November).

At least 17 people are feared missing despite a massive rescue operation saving 28 people from the imperiled vessel, according to the governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafi.

The boat sank off the south of the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam with 31 tourists of various nationalities on board along with 14 crew members.

A surviving crew member said the boat was “hit by a wave in the middle of the night, throwing the vessel on its side”.

Around 80 hours since the Sea Story vessel capsized in the Red Sea, the search for seven people missing on the tourist yacht continues.

A spokesperson for the Egyptian military said it “continues its efforts” to search for the missing people after a total of 33 people were rescued. Some reports say the missing seven include two British people.

The Sea Story was carrying 44 people, including 31 foreign nationals from the UK, the US, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain and Ireland, when it was struck by a large wave.

The governor said he visited the site where the vessel sank and said those rescued were airlifted to receive medical treatment.

Those who survived suffered only bruises and abrasions and were taken to a hotel in Marsa Alam in good condition.

The capsized Sea Story vessel had enough “safety rafts” for everyone on board the boat, its specifications show.

On the Dive Pro Liveaboard website, the company which owns and operates the boat, Sea Story is listed with “two safety rafts for 25 persons each”. There were 44 people on board the boat.

But according to Red Sea regional governor Amr Hanafi, some people were stuck in their cabins when a huge wave struck the boat and it began to capsize.

The website says that each cabin had life jackets inside.

The four-deck boat has a lounge, and a bar, the specifications add.

Sea Story was a liveaboard diving boat, based near the Red Sea port of Marsa Alam. She is one of dozens of similar vessels that take divers out to some of the most exciting underwater locations on the planet – with reefs, wrecks and colourful fish.

For a week’s voyage with the dive operator, Dive Pro Liveaboard, you would pay €1,220 (just over £1,000) and enjoy three or four dives per day.

Sea Story was kitted out with 16 double cabins, so room for 32 divers, and a usual crew of 12 – eight seafarers and four kitchen staff. She was very modern, built in 2022. The operator, Dive Pro Liveaboard, says it is “locally owned and operating from the heart of Hurghada” – a Red Sea resort popular with British travellers.

The Red Sea governorate said the boat had passed a safety inspection in March 2024.

Here’s all you need to know about the boat which capsized in the Red Sea on Monday:

• Sea Story, an Egyptian-owned boat, had set sail from Porto Ghalib on a five-day diving trip, carrying 31 tourists and 13 crew.
• This was despite warnings by the Egyptian Meteorological Authority on Saturday, advising against maritime activity on Sunday and Monday.
• At 5:30am on Monday, the ship sent out a distress signal, sparking a major rescue effort led by an Egyptian navy warship El Fateh and military aircraft.
• Survivors report that the boat was hit by a huge wave. Wave heights of 3-4 meters (10-13 feet) and wind speeds of 34 knots were reported in the area on Sunday by the Egyptian Red Sea Ports Authority.
• The boat capsized within five to seven minutes. Some people were reportedly in their cabins at the time the wave hit. It sank off the popular tourist destination of Marsa Alam.
• By the end of Monday, 28 people had been rescued and 16 people remained missing, including two Brits. Tourists on the boat included nationals from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain and Ireland.
• A technical defect on the boat was ruled out by the Red Sea region’s governor, Amr Hanafi, who said all the necessary safety permits had been obtained.
• Embassies from around the world confirmed on Monday that they were offering consular assistance following the incident.
• On Tuesday, four bodies were recovered and five more people were rescued, bringing the total of survivors to 33.
• On Wednesday, none of the mising seven people were reported to have been found.
• As of Thursday morning, the search goes on.

In a post on Facebook, the Egyptian military spokesman said: “Following the assignment of the General Command of the Armed Forces of the Navy to intensify efforts in search and rescue operations for survivors and missing people in the accident of the tourist boat sinking (SE-story), the Navy continued its efforts in search work in the area of the accident south of the city of Morsa Alam in the Red Sea province.

“Efforts resulted in finding 9 people of different nationalities, among them, 5 are alive and 4 are dead.

“Medical ambulances were provided to the survivors in cooperation with the executive authorities of the Red Sea Governorate, and the Navy continues its efforts to find the remains of the missing persons.”