Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
A fire broke out aboard a tourist cruise ship in the city of Esna, south of Luxor, prompting the evacuation of 220 passengers, including foreign tourists. Authorities confirmed that no injuries or fatalities occurred in the incident, which took place as the vessel was en route to Aswan along the Nile River.
According to security officials, Major General Mohamed Al-Sawy, Director of Luxor Security, received a report from the operations room indicating that a fire had started in the kitchen area of a Nile Cruise while it was sailing near the village of Asghoun in Esna. The blaze was initially described as limited before it quickly spread through the vessel.
Acting swiftly, the ship’s captain managed to steer the vessel toward the riverbank and dock at a point near the village of Waborat Al-Mataana. All 220 passengers among them several groups of tourists of various nationalities, were safely disembarked before flames engulfed the rest of the ship.
Firefighting teams and local authorities arrived at the scene to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby boats or riverbank facilities. Officials have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.
A police report was filed, and the public prosecution has been notified to oversee the investigation under the supervision of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Luxor.
Local authorities commended the crew’s quick response, which prevented potential casualties in what could have become a far more tragic incident.
