Three British divers who died in boat fire off the coast of Egypt named
15 June 2023, 16:20 | Updated: 15 June 2023, 16:29
Three Brits who died when a diving boat burst into flames off Egypt have been named as Christina Quinn, Stephen Hill and Paul Darling.
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A fire broke out on a dive ship on the morning of June 11, near Elphinstone Reef, during a briefing.
Scuba Travel, which ran the diving tour the Brits were on, said hospice boss Ms Quinn, Mr Hill and Mr Darling had decided they would not take part in a dive that morning.
The divers were on a medium-sized scuba boat that suffered a suspected electrical fault near the Egyptian town of Marsa Alam.
The other 12 divers were taken away by boat, while the 14 crew members, including the captain, were evacuated after trying to find the three, the company added.
St Luke's Hospice Plymouth, where Ms Quinn, 58, was chief executive, paid tribute to her on Wednesday evening while the company Scuba Travel which operates trips on the Hurricane confirmed that Mr Hill and Mr Darling were victims.
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Scuba Travel said in a statement on Monday: "It is with great regret that we, as Tour Operator, with heavy hearts, must accept that three of our much-valued dive guests, who had not participated in the dive briefing, early on the morning of June 11, perished in the tragic incident.
"Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to their families and friends at this very sad time."
The three were among 15 "qualified diving enthusiasts" staying aboard the Hurricane for a week, the company said.
It said the boat was operated by Tornado Marine, "an operation that Scuba Travel had worked with since 2001 and have an excellent safety record with us".
The statement said: "At the time the fire broke out 12 divers were participating in a briefing on board, while those missing had apparently decided not to dive that morning.
"The severity of the fire meant that the 12 divers were immediately evacuated by rib to another craft nearby and the 14 crew members, including the Captain and two dive guides, having tried to reach the missing guests, also had to abandon ship and were rescued by rib."
It said the Foreign Office has contacted their families.
Social media images showed a huge blaze at the back of the ship, with smoke billowing so high it could be seen from the shoreline about five miles away.
Local authorities are investigating what happened and Scuba Travel said it is fully supporting that.
"Scuba Travel wish to thank the Foreign and Commonwealth Department and Consular Office in Cairo for doing all possible to expedite emergency travel documents for the guests wishing to travel back to the UK, something which they hope to achieve early in the coming week," the business said.
It was reported that a seven-night trio costs about £1,500.
The boat was said to have left Port Ghalib on June 6.
n a statement released by the hospice, a spokesperson for Ms Quinn said: "It is with great sadness that we confirm the tragic death of Christina Quinn in Egypt.
"She was a sister, daughter, wife, aunty, friend, and rock to many.
"She will be missed beyond words.
"We would ask for privacy at this time."
Ms Quinn took up her role as chief executive at St Luke's in May this year following a "long and impactful" career with the NHS, most recently as director of NHS South West Leadership Academy.
Charles Hackett, chairman of St Luke's trustees, said: "Christina was incredibly passionate about St Luke's and its place at the heart of the community it serves, and we are devastated to lose her warmth, wisdom and leadership.
"Before her recent appointment, Christina had served for six years in a voluntary capacity as chair of St Luke's board, working closely with the senior management team and her fellow trustees and earning their respect, trust and appreciation.
"With her vibrant and engaging personality and her down to earth, caring nature, as CEO she was quickly building strong and meaningful relationships both inside and outside the organisation.
"We will miss Christina enormously and our hearts go out to her family and close friends at this tragic time."
In a statement to Sky News earlier this week, a spokesperson for Scuba Travel said: "It is with great regret that we, as tour operator, with heavy hearts, must accept that three of our much-valued dive guests, perished in the tragic incident.
"Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to their families and friends at this very sad time."
The statement added: "At the time the fire broke out, 12 divers were participating in a briefing on board, while those missing had apparently decided not to dive that morning."
