A survivor from the submarine sinking disaster in Egypt earlier this week has shared the horrifying details of the moment it sank.
Six people of the 50 passengers and crew on board sadly lost their lives on the Sindbad submarine on March 27, which was supposed to take tourists beneath the Red Sea in the Egyptian city of Hurghada.
Horrifying footage has already emerged of the incident, showing the moment the submarine began to sink as passengers were still boarding, with the hatches still open.
Despite shouts asking them to stop, six people tragically died while trapped inside the submarine as it flooded with water quickly.
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It remains unclear what exactly caused the submarine to sink, but it has been confirmed by Egyptian authorities that the vessel held valid licences and the crew leader had the correct 'scientific certificates'.
However, the vessel's condition is still up for debate after one passenger raised concerns about the state of the submarine.
As per LBC, they said: "Before the excursion, the guides did not conduct any instructions and did not tell what to do in case of an emergency.
"So after hitting a reef at depth, people simply did not know what to do and how to swim out. Water flooded the cabin and people panicked.”
One of the survivors from the incident, Elena Boldareva, revealed that both her daughter and her mother are in hospital in serious conditions and shared some details about the fatal accident.
She said: "Some managed to swim out, some didn't."
The Express report that two married doctors reportedly passed away, leaving their 10 and 15-year-old daughters orphaned, while another teenage girl has also been orphaned without any living parents following the tragic incident. Two children are also reported dead.
Another surviving passenger, who remained unnamed, told Russian outlet Mash more about the accident and their view of it.
They said: "When my family and I were standing on a pontoon and were about to board the submarine, the submarine suddenly started to sink, even though the hatches were open.
"The man who was responsible for loading shouted 'stop, stop, stop' and started pushing us back towards the pontoon."
The Red Sea governor, Amr Hanafy, said the 45 passengers on the Sindbad were from Russia, India, Norway, and Sweden respectively. Five Egyptian crew members were also on board.
Mr Hanafy said the six who died were all Russian, but full details of the victims have not yet been released.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, but concerns are perhaps rightfully being raised about the safety of the area, following a similar incident in November last year which left 11 people unaccounted, or presumed dead.
LADbible has contacted Sindbad Submarines for comment.
Topics: World News, Travel
James Moorhouse