At least 6 dead after submarine carrying tourists on a reef tour in Red Sea sinks off Egypt

CAIRO (AP) — A recreational submarine taking 45 tourists on an underwater cruise of coral reefs in the Red Sea sank off the Egyptian resort town of Hurghada on Thursday, leaving six Russians dead, the provincial governor said. The remaining tourists, more than two dozen of whom were injured, were rescued, he said.

The cause of the sinking was not immediately known. The Russian consulate said it took place about 1,000 meters (0.6 miles) offshore.

The submarine was carrying 45 tourists and five Egyptian crewmembers when it sank, Red Sea governor Maj. Gen. Amr Hanafi, said in a statement, adding that rescue teams were quickly sent.

He said all six dead were Russians, and that 29 of the 39 tourists rescued were injured and taken to hospitals. No one was still missing from the vessel, he said.

Hurghada is a major destination for divers, snorkelers and other tourists drawn by the Red Sea's extensive coral reefs.

The submarine, named “Sindbad,” runs tours lasting about 40 minutes underwater, cruising at about 20-25 meters (65-80 feet) underwater with panoramic windows on the bottom to give views of the marine life, according to the website of the company that the Russian consulate identified as running the vessel.

The company did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.

Russia’s Tass news agency earlier said the Russian dead included at least two children, citing the country's consul in Hurghada. The consulate had said all 45 tourists on board were Russian, but the Egyptian governor said they also included Indian, Norwegian and Swedish citizens.

Footage posted by the governor's office showed Hanafy meeting survivors at the hospital, including two Egyptian crewmembers. One Russian tourist had a small bandage on his head. A family with two young daughters smiled and told him they were OK. An Indian man asked Hanafy to see his daughter, who remains in critical condition, doctors can be heard explaining.

In November, a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea after warnings of rough waters, Egyptian officials said. At least four people drowned, while 33 were rescued.

Tourism is an important sector of Egypt's economy but many tourist companies have stopped or limited traveling on the Red Sea due to the dangers from conflicts in the region.

Tourists wait on the beach after a tourist submarine sank in the popular Egyptian Red Sea destination of Hurghada, Egypt, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo)

A tourist watches search operations in the area where a tourist submarine sank in the popular Egyptian Red Sea destination of Hurghada, Egypt, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo)

A police vehicle stand alert in front of of the Egyptian hospital in Hurghada, where survivors receive medical care after a tourist submarine sank in the popular Egyptian Red Sea destination of Hurghada, Egypt, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo)

A tourist watches search operations in the area where a tourist submarine sank in the popular Egyptian Red Sea destination of Hurghada, Egypt, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo)

Boats search for survivors after a tourist submarine sank in the popular Egyptian Red Sea destination of Hurghada, Egypt, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo)

FILE - Tourists walk on the Giftun Island beach as the sun sets over the Red Sea in Hurghada, Egypt, Thursday Aug. 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

The prime minister of Greenland pushed back Sunday against assertions by U.S. President Donald Trump that America will take control of the island territory.

Greenland, a huge, resource-rich island in the Atlantic, is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States. Trump wants to annex the territory, claiming it’s needed for national security purposes.

“President Trump says that the United States ‘will get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Facebook post.

Nielsen’s post comes a day after the U.S. president told NBC News that military force wasn’t off the table with regard to acquiring Greenland.

In Saturday’s interview, Trump allowed that “I think there’s a good possibility that we could do it without military force.”

“This is world peace, this is international security,” he said, but added: “I don’t take anything off the table.”

Greenland’s residents and politicians have reacted with anger to Trump’s repeated suggestions, with Danish leaders also pushing back.

Trump also said “I don’t care,” when asked in the NBC interview what message this would send to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has invaded Ukraine and annexed several of its provinces in defiance of international law.

Demonstrators hold Greenland flags as they protest in front of the U.S. embassy, in Copenhagen, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (Photo: Nils Meilvang/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the Demokraatit party participates a TV debates before the upcoming elections in Nuuk, Greenland, March 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)