CAIRO: Three Russian divers – Vladimir Bukhmiller, Sergei Gurba and Natalia Doronina – went missing in Egypt after they dived to illegal depths in the Red Sea, sources in Hurghada who preferred to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to talk to the media, told Daily News Egypt.
Two men and one woman went missing yesterday evening while diving in the region of Marsa Alam, 600 km south of the tourist hub of Hurghada, Russian consulate spokesman Dmitry Grachev told AFP.
They were trying to dive to 90 m. We know this because a fourth diver who was with them refused to go, he said.
Egyptian law prohibits diving below 40 m because of the risks involved.
Six boats have been deployed to search for the missing divers, the sources told Daily News Egypt.
They added that the search mission will end tomorrow, 72 hours after the divers were reported missing, which is the standard procedure in such cases.
Grachev said the consulate had sent two representatives to the area and that dive agencies were searching for the missing divers.
Four divers – two Russians, one Dutch national and one Egyptian – went missing in the same famed Elphinstone site near Marsa Alam in January.
The area is famed for its shark sightings.
The Red Sea, particularly the reefs in the southern areas, is a major diving attraction, with thousands flocking to Egyptian resorts such as Marsa Alam.
