The survivors of the dive-boat disaster report being compelled to sign witness statements in Arabic, which were not fully translated for them, raising concerns over accountability after the sinking of the 'Sea Story'. This vessel, carrying 46 people during an outing on November 25, 2022, sank, resulting in the loss of four lives, with seven individuals still unaccounted for, including two British divers. Many survivors assert they were interrogated shortly after being rescued, with some hospital-bound individuals facing questioning by figures they believed to be judges.
Several survivors reported a troubling conflict of interest with a company employee conducting initial translations of their statements into Arabic. This practice left many survivors, including a Norwegian police investigator, feeling uncertain about the legitimacy of their signed documents. Reports from various survivors revealed that they signed statements under duress, with critical safety concerns regarding the vessel apparently omitted from their accounts.
Beyond document implications, the survivors expressed concerns regarding the investigation's integrity, alleging that officials appeared determined from the onset to attribute blame for the incident to a "huge wave" rather than any wrongdoing of the boat's operators, Dive Pro Liveaboard. A seasoned oceanographer has contested this assertion, backing the narratives of the survivors and pointing to weather data that contradicts the wave theory.
Further complicating matters, survivors allege that they faced additional pressure from company representatives to sign liability waivers that would absolve Dive Pro Liveaboard from any culpability. Justin Hodges, an American diver, detailed an alarming encounter in which he was misled into unfamiliar liability documents alongside official papers.
The families of the two missing divers continue to voice frustration over what they perceive as inadequate communication from Egyptian authorities and are calling for an independent investigation into the disaster. They argue that attempts to downplay the incident may aim to protect Egypt's tourism industry following previous safety violations in the region's dive-boat industry.
In a report published last year, an independent safety consultancy noted that the dive-boat industry in Egypt operates without adequate safety standards, posing significant risks to divers. Survivors from the 'Sea Story' remain determined to not let their experience be swept under the rug and are advocating for transparency and accountability.
