Egypt submarine crew questioned over sinking that killed 6 after witness claims ‘dive hatches left open’

CREW members on board the deadly Sindbad tourist submarine have been questioned by Egyptian officials over the Red Sea disaster.

Six people died on Thursday as another 39 were miraculously rescued after the submarine sank off the city of Hurghada.

Alamy

This is the first picture of the doomed vessel after the tragedy[/caption]

Instagram

Six are dead after the submarine, seen in a file photo, sank near Egypt’s Hurghada resort[/caption]

Nine people have been injured with four said to be in a critical condition.

The group had been on board the sightseeing vessel, viewing coral reefs off the resort town of Hurghada.

Two children were among the six Russian tourists killed, Russian media reported. The cause of the incident is as yet unclear.

The Sindbad had been in operation as a tourist submarine for a number of years.

The Red Sea governor, Amr Hanafy, said the 45 passengers on the Sindbad were from Russia, India, Norway and Sweden. 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.