Seventeen missing in Egypt's Red Sea tourist yacht sinking... "28 rescued"

At least 17 people are missing after a tourist yacht sank in Egypt's Red Sea, foreign media reported.

At around 5:30 a.m. local time, a tourist yacht carrying 31 tourists and 14 crew members, including foreigners, sent a distress call off the Red Sea coast.

"Rescue teams have rescued 28 people in waters south of the coastal town of Marsa Alam," local authorities said, adding that they are working with the navy to search for the remaining 17 people missing.

The yacht, which departed from Port Galiv, southeast of Egypt, the day before, is expected to dock in the village of Hurghada, 200 kilometers north on the 29th.

Earlier on the 23rd, Egyptian weather authorities warned of turbulence and high waves in the Red Sea and urged people not to engage in marine activities.

The Red Sea is one of Egypt's major tourist attractions and is known as a popular diving spot famous for coral reefs and marine life.