Shipwreck in the Red Sea: 3 dead, 17 missing

Three sailors are dead, seventeen are missing and six were rescued after the sinking of a cargo ship Monday off the coast of Safaga in the Red Sea, according to seaport source.

•     This cargo of 5600 tonnes, “Ibn Battuta”, sunk 35 miles from the port of Abou Dhounaima, from where it sailed for the United Arab Emirates, told the press an official of the Port Authority of the Red Sea.
  
      The Egyptian agency Mena said that it was flying the Cypriot flag.
  
      The origin of the sinking was not known at this stage.
  
      The operations continued during the day, with two ships arrived at the scene and helicopters to try to find survivors among the crew of Sudanese, Indians and Pakistanis.
  
      Boats crossing in the vicinity have received the SOS from the vessel and alerted the Egyptian authorities.
  
      In February 2006, a thousand people, mostly Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia, had perished in the sinking of the Egyptian ferry Al Salam 98, which made the liaison between the Saudi port of Duba and Safaga.
  
      In 1991, another Egyptian ferry, Salem Express, had sunk in the Red Sea while providing a link between Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Safaga, making nearly 500 victims.
  
      
  Ennaharonline/ M. O.