Three missing British passengers who were on a diving boat that burst into flames in Egypt have died.
A spokesman for Scuba Travel confirmed the deaths to Sky News, saying the guests "perished in the fire" aboard the "Hurricane" dive boat.
"At the time the fire broke out, 12 divers were participating in a briefing on board, while those missing had apparently decided not to dive that morning", a statement from the company read.
A further 12 British nationals were rescued along with 12 Egyptian crew members and were brought to safety at the nearby diving resort of Marsa Shagra, about 13 miles north of the town of Marsa Alam, according to a statement from the Red Sea State governor’s office and security sources.
The company said the three unnamed passengers were among 15 qualified "diving enthusiasts" who were on a week's stay on the boat when the fire broke out at around 6:30am UK time (8:30am Egypt time) yesterday.
The spokesman continued: "It is with great regret that we, as tour operators, with heavy hearts, must accept that three of our much-valued dive guests, perished in the tragic incident.
"Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to their families and friends at this very sad time."
The local authority said initial examinations had found an electrical short circuit in the engine room, while the public prosecution office had begun an investigation.
According to Scuba Travel, the intensity of the fire meant that 12 of the divers were immediately evacuated to another craft nearby and the 14 crew members also had to abandon the ship after trying to reach the missing guests.
