Six people have died and nine were injured when a tourist submarine sank off the Egyptian coast on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
All the victims were Russian, and were among 45 passengers aboard the tourist submarine, said provincial officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to not having authorization to speak to the media.
The sinking happened off one of the beaches in the tourist promenade area in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, and that is where 29 people were rescued.
There were some minors on board the submarine, Russian consular officials in Hurghada said, according to the AP. It is unknown how many crew members were on the submarine.
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The sub belonged to Sindbad hotel in Hurghada. It took off on a regularly scheduled tour to view coral reefs at around 10 a.m. Thursday and went under about half a mile from shore.
The vessel, which was operated by a Hurghada-based company called Sindbad Submarines, had 44 passenger seats, two pilot seats, and a round viewing window for each passenger, according to the company website.
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The people rescued were taken to hospitals and are in stable condition, according to the Russian consulate.
The cause of the submarine’s sinking is not yet known.
Back in November, a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea after warnings of rough waters, Egyptian officials said. At least four people drowned, while 33 were rescued. Some were missing following the sinking. Two American tourists had been onboard.
Tourism is an important sector of Egypt’s economy, but many tourist companies have stopped or limited travel on the Red Sea due to the dangers from conflicts in the region.
Fox News Digital’s Andrea Margolis and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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