Egypt’s naval forces have rescued 37 people on board of a sinking cargo ship near Safaga Port, on the coast of the Red Sea, Youm7 reported Sunday.
The ship, called Taba, left Safaga Port to Saudi Port of Duba, but reportedly started sinking after sailing 20 nautical miles away from Safaga.
The sinking ship sent a distress signal to the Safaga Naval Base, which sent three launches and rescued the crew, according to a source at the Safaga Port.
At the time of the incident, the ship was carrying 37 passengers; 10 of whom are drivers of 43 cargo trucks on board of the ship. All of the passengers were Egyptian except for two; a Sudanese and a Lebanese.
Three crew members injured with fractures and six others with bruises, according to spokesperson for the Red Sea Ports Authority Abdel Rahim Mostafa.
The Minister of Transport Hany Dahi decided to form a technical committee to investigate the incident, Mostafa said.
Mostafa suggested that the ship Taba sank due to “lack of balance,” adding that many of the cargo trucks on board of the ship were placed on one side instead of being distributed.
In June, the naval forces rescued a sinking Bolivian cargo ship off the coast of Alexandria.
