CAIRO, Egypt – An Egyption passenger cruise ship carrying over 1300 people, including muslim pilgrims, has sunk in the Red Sea off Saudi coast, but the ships captain was the first to leave and abandon the ship and is now missing.
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Egyptian maritime officials say bodies have been seen floating where near cruise liner disappeared.
Egypt has declined Israel Navy’s offer of search and rescue assistance.
U/D: 09:14
ATT about 100 survivors in five lifeboats have been rescued.
U/D: 14:04
Egypt’s transport minister said now that 203 survivors have been rescued from the sinking of the passenger ferry.
טאקע ריכטיג קריעת ים סוף
אבער דעמאלטס איז נישט איבערגעבליבן נאר איינער, וויאויך פארגעס פונעם ביזת הים
“umivchar shulishav tubu byam suf”
“Forty-five bodies were picked up from the sea and we have so far around 100 survivors,” said a senior police officer, who asked not to be named. One person close to the operations added: “It looks like around 100 survivors, less than 100.” “There aren’t expected to be many survivors, because it’s been so long since the ship went down,” he said.
Egypt’s state news agency MENA said 1,272 passengers had been aboard: 1,158 Egyptians, 99 Saudis, six Syrians, four Palestinians, a Canadian, a Yemeni, an Omani, a Sudanese and one person from the United Arab Emirates. The ship had a crew of close to 100
Britain diverted a warship, the HMS Bulwark, from a Red Sea patrol to help with the rescue but called off the mission later when Egyptian authorities said it would not be needed.