An underwater tour off Egypt’s Red Sea coast took a deadly turn, leaving local authorities and eyewitnesses working to piece together what went wrong.

A tourist submarine dive ended in tragedy near Hurghada on 27 March, killing six people and injuring several others. According to Russian news outlet Mash, the incident occurred when a bathyscaphe carrying 45 tourists lost control and crashed into a reef, causing the vessel to capsize and depressurize.Most of those who died were Russian tourists staying at the Serry Beach Resort. The group had booked the excursion through tour operator Biblio Globus, with plans to transfer from the hotel to the pier and descend to a depth of 22 meters.According to the Daily Mail, survivor Elena Boldareva claimed the vessel began its descent before its hatches were fully closed. As it took on water, tourists were forced to scramble out on their own.

Boldareva said she and her husband managed to swim out of the Sindbad tourist submersible as it sank at the landing pontoon. “Some managed to swim out, some didn’t,” she added.Her daughter and mother were among the 39 people rescued and taken to hospital. At least one child remains in serious condition. She said passengers tried to save themselves as best they could, while tourists on nearby boats at the Sindbad Club Hotel marina rushed to pull people from the water.