A British couple remains missing in the Red Sea after a tourist yacht capsised in Egypt.
Seven people – including a couple from Devon – are still missing after the vessel carrying 31 holidaymakers and 13 crew sank off the Egyptian coast on Monday.
Survivors described the terrifying moments they were left ‘helpless’ to swim in the dark after the incident in the early hours of the morning. Five people were rescued alive the following day after reportedly surviving on air pockets.
Families of those still missing are desperately waiting for updates about their loved ones.
The family of missing couple Jenny Cawson, 36, and her partner Tariq Sinada, 49, from Ashburton, Devon, are reportedly among the missing.
Jenny’s father Michael Williams said they were in ‘disbelief, it’s one of those moments when the world stops’ after hearing the yacht had capsised.
He said they first heard of the incident from Tariq’s mother who had messaged him to say that the Sea Story had sank and ‘asked me if I knew the name of the boat.’
Her mother Pamela told the BBC she recognised the name of the boat, saying ‘your heart sinks. You ask yourself, have I misread the news? Let’s look again.’
She said a local source had offered to ‘try and look for them in local hospitals.’
Pamela described the missing couple as people who ‘do proper research before travelling anywhere.’
‘They are not the type of people who take anything at face value,’ she added.
Jenny, who works for the Devon Wildlife Trust, and Tariq, an IT professional, are said to be experienced scuba divers.
A spokesperson for Tariq’s employer Tata Consultancy Services said in a statement that their ‘thoughts are with Tariq’s family and all those that have been impacted’ after the ‘tragic incident.’
‘We hope for his safe return, along with all other passengers,’ they said.
Following the search and rescue operations, 33 people have been pulled out of the water while four bodies have been recovered and are yet to be identified.
The vessel capsised after a large wave hit it, the governer of the Red Sea, Amr Hanafi, previously said.
Before the incident, the Egyptian Meteorological Authority had warned of high waves in the area and advised against maritime activity on Sunday and Monday.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
