An Egyptian ferry carrying more than 1,300 passengers sank Thursday night on the Red Sea. The cause, according to officials, was bad weather the ship encountered. Thus far, approximately 100 people have been rescued in life boats. Egyptian officials also have reported the sighting of 'dozens of bodies' in the waters near where the ship went down.
The boat is the Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98. It reportedly sank 40 miles off the Egyptian port of Hurghada, not far from Saudi Arabia. The official cause of the accident is still being investigated.
Ayman al-Kaffas, a spokesman for the Egyptian Embassy in London, told the BBC that 'a massive search-and-rescue effort' was underway in the area. Both British and American ships are being diverted to the area but they are not expected to arrive for another day or two.
The water temperature averages in the upper 60s during February so it is possible for people to survive in the water for a few hours.
The ship sailed from the Saudi port of Dubah at 7:00 PM Thursday night and was scheduled to arrive at Egypt's port of Safaga eight hours later.
'The ship complied with all necessary safety measures,' Egyptian Transport Minister Mohammed Lutfy Mansour told Egypt's semi-official Middle East News Agency. 'The reasons remain unknown. ... The Coast Guard is doing everything in its power to try to rescue these people.'
According to Egyptian officials, the ship had a passenger list that included 1,200 Egyptians, 99 Saudis, three Syrians, two Sudanese and a Canadian.
Rescue operations were continuing into the late afternoon.
