It was supposed to be the adventure of their lifetime, discovering the enchantment of the sea and all that dwelled inside—but it turned into a catastrophe.

The tourist submarine disaster in
Egypt
shares striking resemblances to the 2023 Titan submersible vessel implosion that resulted in five fatalities.

The profound maritime disaster off the coast of Newfoundland occurred
Canada
saw the bespoke Titan, run by
Oceangate
as it plunged towards the wreckage of the Titanic.

The disaster has been
In comparison to the recent submarine incident off Egypt’s coastline, which has resulted in six known deaths.

In both instances, travelers who merely wished to discover the ocean’s marvels perished as a result.

They were employing firms that boasted a robust reputation back then and had been functioning for several years.

In Egypt, travelers dove down to depths of 72 feet for as little as £35, whereas the group chosen to ride on the Titan shelled out up to £186,000 for the experience.

Efforts to rescue people near the shores of Hurghada involved deploying 21 ambulances to the accident site to ferry the wounded to nearby medical facilities.

In contrast, the search and rescue operation following the Titan incident continued for four days until the US Coast Guard eventually located the wreckage of the ship.

One of the eeriest parallels between these two tragedies is that mothers and fathers were traveling together with their kids.

In 2023, two of the casualties included British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman, who perished when the submersible they were in sank.
imploded
.

The full scale of casualties on the Sindbad ship remains unclear, however, the Russian embassy has verified that children were part of the 45 tourists aboard.

Reports indicate that at least one child, who is currently hospitalized, has become an orphan due to the disaster.

On the morning of June 18, the Titan submersed with enough oxygen supply for four days, despite being scheduled to return to the surface after only seven hours.

The vehicle lost communication with the support ship just under two hours into the mission, and that same evening, approximately 10 hours from when the descent began, the United States Coast Guard was alerted about a missing submarine.

The disappearance triggered a global search operation to locate the vanished ship that sank to a depth of 12,400 feet beneath the North Atlantic Ocean.

The debris from the ship was
discovered on the seabed approximately 330 yards away from the front of the Titanic.

Everyone aboard the vessel –
Including OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush, the British explorer Hamish Harding, and the seasoned French diver Paul-Henri Nergeollet.
, were killed.

In February, sounds recorded using an apparatus from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration located roughly 900 miles away from where the submersible was operating were obtained.
dropped off the radar
displays a deafening boom tearing across the sea as the ship crumbled.

Over the span of 2021 and 2022, the submarine completed 23 descents, managing to reach the wreckage of the Titanic on 13 occasions.

Travelers shelled out as much as £186,000 for a spot on the ship and the opportunity to visit the historical location during an excursion lasting several hours.

The submarine had limited capacity, accommodating just enough room—and air—for five fare-paying travelers.

In contrast, the Sharm Hurghada Excursion lasts for three hours and has an adults’ ticket price of £68, with children’s tickets costing £35 each.

Up to 44 passengers can enjoy viewing Hurghada’s marine life from a depth of 72 feet during one outing.

The firm has been running tourist excursions in the region for many years and asserts that it possesses two out of just fourteen genuine leisure submarines globally.

Before the catastrophe of 2023, Oceangate was beset with ongoing safety issues. An inspection log documented 118 mechanical problems, including malfunctioning thrusters and dead batteries.

It emerged subsequently that the vehicle was controlled using a video game controller. Meanwhile, leading figures in deep-sea exploration had cautioned OceanGate about their ‘experimental’ techniques, predicting they could result in a ‘disastrous’ outcome.

In 2022, a passenger named Fred Hagen reported hearing a loud ‘bang or crack’ as the submarine ascended back to the surface.

When asked about Titan’s safety in 2018, Rush stated: “I’m not dying. Nobody will die under my supervision—end of story.”

I am aware of this type of risk, and I’m approaching it knowingly. I believe this is among the safest actions I’ll ever undertake.

A previous worker who alerted Oceangate to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mentioned that this U.S. regulatory agency was sluggish in addressing past issues.

Even though the incident was tragic, US luxury real estate tycoon Larry Connor and Patrick Lahey, who co-founded Triton Submarines, have vowed to embark on a voyage to view the wreck.

The scheduled expedition has no specified timeline; the journey will commence solely after a submersible gains full certification from a maritime authority.

In recent years, Egypt has witnessed accidents involving tourist boats as well.

Last November, the tourist vessel called Sea Story crashed into the sea near Egypt’s Red Sea coastline.

The vessel submerged close to Shaab Satayah, a well-liked dive site with its vibrant coral reefs, situated near the tourism destination of Marsa Alam during the dawn hours of November 25.

The individuals who managed to flee the ship stated that a ‘huge ocean wave’ struck it and led to its overturning within ‘approximately five to seven minutes,’ according to Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi at the time.

In 2023, three visitors from Britain
passed away following a yachting incident where the vessel caught fire during a diving expedition in the Red Sea.

Several months prior, another yacht, the Carlton Queen,
capsized and went under near Hurghada.

Last month, UK investigators stated that there have been 16 occurrences involving ‘liveaboard’ ships in the region over the past five years, with several of these incidents leading to fatalities.

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