Yahoo News What we know about the British couple missing after the Sea Story yacht sank in the Red Sea
The family of Jenny Cawson and her husband Tariq Sinada have said they are 'desperate' for news following the sinking of the Sea Story off the coast of Egypt.
The family of a British couple who are still missing after a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt have said they are "desperate" for news.
Jenny Cawson, 36, and her husband Tariq Sinada, 49, are believed to be among seven people still unaccounted for after the Sea Story capsized and sank south of the coastal town of Marsa Alam on 25 November.
The four-deck yacht was carrying 44 people, including 13 crew and 31 passengers. Tourists on board included nationals from the UK, the US, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain and Ireland.
Following a search and rescue operation led by the Egyptian Navy, 33 people have been rescued and four bodies were recovered whose identities have yet to be confirmed.
Cawson's family told the BBC on Saturday they are continuing to receive daily updates from the Foreign Office - but voiced their frustration as there is "still no news".
What we know
The four-deck Sea Story left Port Ghalib in Marsa Alam with 31 passengers and 13 crew on Sunday 24 November for a five-day liveaboard trip scheduled to finish in Hurghada on Friday 29 November.
According to reports, it issued a distress call at 5.30 am on 25 November before all communication was lost. It is believed it was hit by a large wave during storm weather, causing it to capsize.
Five of the survivors who were pulled out alive on Tuesday, 26 November were reportedly rescued from cabins. Four bodies were also recovered.
Seven people are still unaccounted for – including British couple Jenny Cawson and Tariq Sinada, from Ashburton, near Newton Abbot, Devon.
Cawson, who works for the Devon Wildlife Trust, and Sinada, an IT professional, are both experienced scuba divers. Cawson's mother Pamela said the couple always carried out research before they embarked on a trip.
She told the BBC: "Everything Jenny and her husband do is highly considered; they do proper research before travelling anywhere. They are not the type of people who take anything at face value."
The family said they had approached local sources in Egypt in an attempt to locate their loved ones, with one person helping by searching for them in local hospitals.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: "We are providing consular support to a number of British nationals and their families following an incident in Egypt and are in contact with the local authorities."
What we don't know
No details have yet been released by the Egyptian authorities on the passengers who have been rescued, nor those who have died or are still missing.
The exact circumstances of what happened to the Sea Story are also yet to be confirmed. Dive Pro Liveaboard has yet to comment on the sinking.
The governor of the Red Sea, Amr Hanafi, said a large wave had hit the yacht. Hanafi also said in a statement that the boat operated by Dive Pro Liveaboard had cleared its last safety inspection in March and no technical issues were reported.
The Egyptian Meteorological Authority had reportedly warned of high waves on the Red Sea and advised against maritime activity on Sunday and Monday, which fits with the comments from Hanafi.
One diver who had travelled on another tourist boat owned by the same company as Sea Story told of "corner-cutting" that risked people's safety, telling Sky News that there were concerns among divers about "boat safety standards" and the lack of a life jacket drill.
He said while there are robust safety standards in Egypt, they are rarely enforced. Dive Pro Liveaboard was contacted for comment but did not respond, Sky News reported.
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