3 dead, 17 missing in Egypt cargo ship sinking

Three sailors perished and 17 others including Indians are still missing after a cargo ship sank off the Red Sea coast of Egypt on Monday shortly after leaving port, a maritime official said.

Three sailors perished and 17 others including Indians are still missing after a cargo ship sank off the Red Sea coast of Egypt on Monday shortly after leaving port, a maritime official said.

HT Image

Six people were rescued when the 5,600-tonne Ibn al-Battuta went down in the sea about 35 nautical miles off the port of Safaga, a port official told AFP.

He said two vessels and helicopters were involved in the search for the missing members of the crew, which include Sudanese, Indians and Pakistanis.

The ship was carrying a shipment of silicon and had set sail from the port of Abu Dhunaima, near Safaga, on its way to the United Arab Emirates, the official said, without giving details about the vessel's ownership.

In February 2006, a ferry sank as it was travelling to Safaga from Saudia Arabia, drowning 1,000 passengers in one of the deadliest disasters in modern maritime history.

In 1991, another Egyptian ferry sank in the Red Sea en route between Jeddah and Safaga, leading to the loss of nearly 500 lives.