American Diver Dies in Red Sea Aggressor I Fire

Just two months after the Conception fire disaster killing thirty-four, an American diver lost her life in an early morning fire November 1 that sank the Red Sea Aggressor I (also known as the MY Suzanna) at Marsa Shona.

Unlike the Conception tragedy, passengers were woken by smoke in the cabins just past midnight, when the fire was already well advanced. They roused the crew, sleeping on the deck above, and most of the people jumped into the sea, without lifejackets, and were rescued by the Emperor Asmaa liveaboard, which was luckily moored nearby.

The American diver, apparently a female employee in the U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe, was overcome by smoke and died.

The surviving 17 passengers and 12 crew members were without possessions, passports, or money and were taken to their relevant embassies in Cairo. The resident manager of the Egyptian Aggressor fleet is now in police custody in Marsa Alam.

We'll have more about the incident in our next issue, January 2020.