Irish passenger from sunken Egyptian yacht contacts authorities 

Rescuers wait on the beach of Marsa Alam, Egypt, on Monday, after a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea following warnings about rough seas. Picture: AP

An Irish citizen present on a yacht which sank off the Egyptian coast on Monday morning is safe and in “direct contact” with the Irish authorities.

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Tuesday afternoon it was “in direct contact with the citizen concerned and is providing consular assistance”.

Some 44 people were aboard the four-deck Sea Story yacht when it sank in rough seas just after 5am on Monday, 46 nautical miles from the city of Morsa Alam on the Egyptian coast.

The Egyptian authorities said 31 people have thus far been accounted for, with four bodies recovered and nine people still to be found.

The nationalities and identities of the four bodies recovered have not yet been released.

It is understood four British nationals were also on board the yacht.

According to the governor of the Red Sea region, Major General Amr Hanafi, the nationalities of those on board the wooden-hulled yacht included 13 Egyptians, and citizens of Germany, Britain, the US, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain, and Ireland.