CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian naval forces rescued five people Tuesday and recovered four bodies, a day after a tourist yacht carrying 44 passengers sank in the Red Sea coastal town of Marsa Alam, officials said, after facing rough weather.
This brings the total to 33 survivors while seven remain missing.
Sea Story, a live-aboard used mainly for maritime activities, sent a distress signal after a large wave crashed into the boat, causing it to capsize, according to survivors' accounts. Some passengers were inside the cabins when the boat overturned within minutes, according to statements.
A rescue operation, still ongoing, was ordered and 28 people were rescued Monday from the vessel.
On Tuesday, the governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafy, said the five survivors were two Belgians, an Egyptian, a Swiss citizen, and a Finnish national. He also said the four bodies are yet to be identified.
The boat carried 13 Egyptians, including crew members, and 31 foreign nationals from the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain, and Ireland.
The German foreign ministry said Tuesday that three Germans remain missing while three others have been rescued.
Meanwhile, Paweł Wroński, Poland’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said two Polish nationals, a man and a woman, are also missing and that their families have been notified.
Live-aboards usually depart port for multiple-day excursions. Sea Story left Port Ghalib in Marsa Alam on Sunday and was scheduled to deck in Hurghada five days later. It sank 46 nautical miles away from Marsa Alam, according to the governor.
The boat had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March, officials said. According to the website of the boat operator Dive Pro Liveaboard, the Sea Story was built in 2022 and can hold 36 passengers.
The Egyptian Meteorological Authority on Saturday warned of turbulence and high waves, advising against naval activity on Sunday and Monday.
Marsa Alam is renowned for its pristine beaches, a wide variety of marine life, and regular shark sightings, particularly the curious Oceanic White Tip, drawing in scuba diving enthusiasts worldwide. However, some of the dive sites are challenging, with rough currents, and require advanced certification.
The Egyptian military is also involved in coordinating the rescue operation.
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Associated Press news writers Monika Scislowska in Warsaw and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
In this photo provided by the Egyptian Press Center on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, rescuers transport a survivor after a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea, in Marsa Alam, Egypt. (Egyptian Press Center via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Americans with obesity would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning.
The costly proposal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services immediately sets the stage for a showdown between the powerful pharmaceutical industry and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken opponent of the weight-loss drugs who, as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the agency, could block the measure.
While the rule would give millions of people access to weekly injectables that have helped people shed pounds so quickly that some have labeled them miracle drugs, it would cost taxpayers as much as $35 billion over the next decade.
“It's a good day for anyone who suffers from obesity,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told The Associated Press in an interview. “It's a game changer for Americans who can't afford these drugs otherwise.”
The rule would not be finalized until January, days after Trump takes office. A bipartisan coalition of congressional members has lobbied for the drugs to be covered by Medicare, saying it could save the government from spending billions of dollars on treating chronic ailments that stem from obesity. While it's unclear where Trump himself stands on coverage of the weight-loss drugs, his allies and Cabinet picks who have vowed to cut government spending could balk at the upfront price tag.
Under the proposal, only those who are considered obese — someone who has a body mass index of 30 or higher — would qualify for coverage. Some people may already get coverage of the drugs through Medicare or Medicaid, if they have diabetes or are at risk for stroke or heart disease.
Becerra estimated that an additional 3.5 million people on Medicare and 4 million on Medicaid could qualify for coverage of the drugs. But research suggests far more people might qualify, with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimating roughly 28 million people on Medicaid are considered obese.
Medicare has been barred from offering the drugs under a decades-old law that prohibits the government-backed insurance program from covering weight-loss products. The rule proposed by the Biden administration, however, would recognize obesity as a disease that can be treated with the help of the drugs.
The anti-obesity drug market has expanded significantly in recent years, with the Food and Drug Administration approving a new class of weekly injectables like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound to treat obesity.
People can lose as much as 15% to 25% of their body weight on the drugs, which imitate the hormones that regulate appetites by communicating fullness between the gut and brain when people eat.
The cost of the drugs has largely limited them to the wealthy, including celebrities who boast of their benefits. A monthly supply of Wegovy rings up at $1,300 and Zepbound will put you out $1,000. Shortages of the drugs have also limited the supplies.
Kennedy, who as Trump's nominee for HHS secretary is subject to Senate confirmation, has railed against the drugs' popularity. In speeches and on social media, he's said the U.S. should not cover the drugs through Medicaid or Medicare. Instead, he supports a broad expansion of coverage for healthier foods and gym memberships.
“For half the price of Ozempic, we could purchase regeneratively raised, organic food for every American, three meals a day and a gym membership, for every obese American,” Kennedy said to a group of federal lawmakers during a roundtable earlier this year. Ozempic is a diabetes drug that can stimulate weight loss.
FILE - Donna Cooper holds up a dosage of Wegovy, a drug used for weight loss, at her home, March 1, 2024, in Front Royal, Va. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File)
President Joe Biden speaks as first lady Jill Biden looks on at a Friendsgiving event with service members and their families in the Staten Island borough of New York, Monday, Nov. 25 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
