(Bloomberg) -- Sixteen passengers on an Egyptian tourist boat that sunk in the Red Sea early Monday remain missing, according to a government official.
The 34-meter long boat, which carried 44 passengers, mostly foreigners, capsized after being hit by a “big wave,” said Amr Hanafi, governor of Egypt’s Red Sea governorate, citing accounts of tourists and crew members who survived the accident.
Twenty-eight passengers have been rescued so far and none of the survivors sustained serious injuries or needed to be hospitalized, Hanafi said. Authorities are still searching for 12 foreigners and four Egyptians.
Egyptian authorities had earlier said 17 were missing.
The boat carried nationals of Belgium, Slovakia, Switzerland, the US, Spain, the UK, Germany, Poland, Norway, Ireland, Finland and China, authorities said. There were also 13 Egyptian passengers as well as the local crew.
The Egyptian vessel, identified as the Sea Story, foundered at about 5:30 a.m. Monday in waters near the coastal town of Marsa Allam. It was last inspected for marine safety in March and no defects were registered, Hanafi said. Investigations are still underway.
The boat set off from Marsa Allam on Sunday and was scheduled to arrive at the tourist hub of Hurghada, further north on the coast, on Nov. 29.
(Updates missing in headline, first paragraph; details on sinking in second paragraph)
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