Mr. al-Faramawy told me that rescuers had to enter the boat and open the cabin door to get the passengers out.
“We used torches to try to find our way in the dark, it was quite a difficult mission,” he said.
“My heart goes out to the families of the victims and I hope they find all the missing passengers alive,” he added.
According to Mr al-Faramawa, the Sea Story boat is largely submerged, with less than a meter of the boat above water.
Among those he rescued on Tuesday was his 23-year-old nephew Youssef, a diving instructor.
Hussam al-Faramawi, Yusef’s father, broke down in tears when he learned that his son was alive.
“I couldn’t tell his mother what happened to the boat, she would have died immediately, I only told her after I realized he had survived,” he told us.
Yusef is currently being treated at a local hospital.
“He tried to save the passengers on board but was locked in one of the cabins,” his father told me in an emotional phone call.
It was hard for him to describe how he continued to wait to hear word about his son. “There was nothing I could do but pray to God to help my boy and luckily his uncle finally saved him.”
