Red Sea dive-boat survivors accuse authorities of cover up

The group say their official witness statements were translated into Arabic by a boat company employee.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersDive boat survivors say they were pressed to sign statements they couldn't readBBCJustin, Frøydis and Lisa were all rescued from the Sea Story and later spoke to the BBCSurvivors of a deadly dive-boat sinking in the Red Sea say they were pressured to sign official witness statements in Arabic - which they couldn't understand and had been translated from English by an employee of the boat company.

They say the man also tried to get them to sign waivers which stated they did not accuse anyone of "criminal wrongdoing".

The 11 survivors who have spoken to the BBC have also accused the Egyptian authorities of trying to cover up what happened, saying investigators were determined to blame it on a huge wave.

The Sea Story had been carrying 46 people when it sank in the early hours of 25 November last year - four bodies were recovered and seven people are still missing, including two British divers.

Neither the Egyptian government nor the boat operators - Dive Pro Liveaboard, based in Hurghada - have responded to our questions.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87dxx41lvvo

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