It was meant to be the trip of their lives exploring the magic of the ocean and what lay within – but it ended in disaster.
The tourist submarine diaster in Egypt bears chilling similarities to the 2023 Titan submersible vessel implosion that saw five people die.
The deep sea tragedy off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada saw the custom-built Titan, operated by Oceangate, implode as it descended to the wreck of the Titanic.
The disaster has been compared to today’s submarine sinking off the coast of Egypt, where six fatalities have been confirmed.
In both cases, passengers who simply wanted to explore the wonders of the ocean lost their lives in the process.
They were using companies that had, at the time, a secure reputation and had been operating for a number of years.
In Egypt, passengers submerged up to 72ft for as cheap as £35, while the quintet selected to board the Titan paid up to £186,000 for the privilege.
Rescue efforts off the coast of Hurghada saw 21 ambulances dispatched to the scene of the incident to transport those injured to local hospitals.
By contrast, the search and rescue mission for the Titan accident lasted four days, when the US Coast Guard finally discovered the debris from the vessel.
Perhaps the most chilling similarity between the two disasters is the fact that parents were on board with their children.
Two of the victims in 2023 were British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old son Suleman, both of whom were killed when the submersible imploded.
The extent of the fatalities on the Sindbad vessel is not yet fully known, but the Russian embassy has confirmed that minors were among the 45 tourists on board.
Reports have suggested that at least one child, who is now in hospital, been orphaned by the disaster.
Six people have died after Sindbad submarine sunk off the coast of Hurghada today
The Sharm Hurghada Excursion is three-hours long and allows passengers to submerge 72ft
The tragedy has been compared to the Titan disaster in 2023, where the vessel imploded
British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood were killed on board the deep-sea vessel in June, alongside French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Stockton Rush
On the morning of June 18, the Titan submerged, carrying four days worth of oxygen even though it was due to surface after seven hours.
It lost contact with the suport vessel less than two hours later, and that evening, 10 hours after the dive started, the United States Coast Guard received a report of an overdue submersible.
The loss of contact sparked an international manhunt to track down the missing vessel which had plunged 12,400ft under the North Atlantic ocean.
The wreckage of the ship was found on the ocean floor about 330 yards off the bow of the Titanic.
All those on board the ship – including OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush, British explorer Hamish Harding, veteran French diver Paul-Henri Nargeole, were killed.
In February, audio captured from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration device about 900 miles from where the submersible dropped off the radar shows a thunderous roar ripping through the ocean as the vessel imploded.
The sub had made 23 dives over the course of 2021 and 2022, reaching the wreck of the Titanic 13 times.
Passengers paid up to £186,000 for a place on the vessel and the chance to see the historic site in a tour lasting several hours.
Places were limited, with the sub only holding enough space – and oxygen – for five paying passengers.
By comparison, the Sharm Hurghada Excursion is three-hours long and costs £68 per adult ticket, and £35 for children.
Up to 44 passengers are able to admire Hurghada’s underwater life at a depth of 72ft in a single excursion.
The company has been operating tourist trips in the area for several years, and claims to hold two of the only ’14 real recreational submarines’ in the world.
Wreckage of the Titan found on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean
Footage from a remotely operated vehicle shows, what the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation says is the debris of the Titan submersible
The disaster has been compared to today’s submarine sinking off the coast of Egypt, where six fatalities have been confirmed
Prior to the 2023 disaster, safety concerns had continued to plague Oceangate. A dive log book recorded 118 technical faults, ranging from thrusters failing to batteries dying.
It was later revealed that the vessel was being operated by a video game controller, while leaders in the field of deep-sea exploration had warned OceanGate that the company’s ‘experimental’ methods could end in ‘catastrophic’ disaster.
In 2022, one passenger, Fred Hagen, heard a ‘large bang or cracking sound’ as the sub was returning to the surface.
When questioned about Titan’s safety in 2018, Rush said: ‘I’m not dying. No-one is dying on my watch – period.
‘I understand this kind of risk, and I’m going into it with eyes open and I think this is one of the safest things I will ever do.’
A former employee who reported Oceangate to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said the US government body were slow to act on historic concerns.
Despite the tragedy, US luxury real estate billionaire Larry Connor and Patrick Lahey, co-founder of Triton Submarines, have pledged to take a vessel to see the shipwreck.
There is no timeframe for the planned expedition,with the voyage only set to take place once a submersible was fully certified by a marine organisation.
Commander Paul-Henri Nargeolet died in the tragedy
British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman also died on the vessel
Billionaire Hamish Harding was also one of the victims
When questioned about Titan’s safety in 2018, Rush said: ‘I’m not dying. No-one is dying on my watch – period’
Egypt has also been the site of tourist vessel disasters in recent years.
In November last year, a tourist boat named Sea Story sank off Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
The boat sank near Shaab Satayah, a coral reef popular for diving trips, off the tourist resort of Marsa Alam in the early hours of November 25.
Those who escaped the vessel said a ‘high sea wave’ had hit it and caused it to capsize in ‘about five or seven minutes’, Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi said at the time.
In 2023, three British tourists died after a yacht caught fire on a diving trip in the Red Sea.
A few months earlier, another yacht, the Carlton Queen, capsized and sank near Hurghada.
UK investigators said last month there had been 16 incidents involving ‘liveaboard’ vessels in the area in the last five years, with a number resulting in deaths.