The four-decker Sea Story was carrying 31 passengers and 13 crew when it was reportedly hit by a large wave near the city of Marsa Alam during a storm, causing it to capsize.
The resort town is a popular tourist destination on Egypt’s southern Red Sea coast, surrounded by diving spots, including the famous coral reefs.
On board were tourists from Belgium, Great Britain, China, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the USA. Thirty-three people were rescued, four bodies were found.
In a phone call from Devon, Michael recounted how Tariq’s mother told the family about the drowning.
“Tariko’s mother told us that the Sea Story had sunk in the Red Sea and asked me if I knew the name of the boat,” he recalls.
Jenny’s mother Pamela knew the name and had a photo of the boat as the couple, both experienced scuba divers, contacted them when they arrived in the Red Sea.
“Your heart sinks. You ask yourself, did I read the news wrong? Let’s watch it again,” she said.
Pamela said the family continues to receive daily news from the Foreign Office, but complains that “there is still no news”.
Due to a lack of accurate information, the family said they turned to local sources in Egypt for news about their loved ones.
“One of the local sources was kind enough to try to find them at local hospitals,” adds Pamela.
The family says they were told the boat had not been found, but then came across media reports that it had been found by Egyptian rescuers.
The five survivors who were pulled alive on Tuesday were reportedly rescued from the boat’s cabins. A Diver told the BBC earlier this week that they had to make great efforts to get into the nearly submerged sea story, open the cabin, and get out the five survivors, as well as the four bodies.
