A Briton has said his favorite holiday turned into a ‘nightmare’ after his 137ft boat capsized in Egypt’s ‘Bermuda Triangle’.
David Taylor, 53, from Nottinghamshire, was traveling with his 21-year-old son Christian and said he was ‘freaked out’ when he realized the boat was sinking last month.
He told the Telegraph newspaper that he ‘started to panic’ when he thought he would not be able to protect his son.
Horrifying video footage shows the boat sinking into the Red Sea with 26 guests on board. This boat named ‘Carlton Queen’ sank to the bottom of the sea in less than an hour.
Screams can be heard in the video and a man is shown jumping into the sea near Hurghada and the entrance to the Suez Canal.
In the video of the incident on April 24, people can be seen holding the wreckage as the boat slips into the sea.
The company says that all the people on board the boat have been rescued and taken to a safe place. Three divers suffered minor injuries.
Mr. Taylor, who works as an architectural technician, said he woke up to see fish swimming outside his cabin window instead of the sky.
He told the Telegraph: ‘We were screaming for help and we heard a crash on top of us and realized something terrible was happening.
‘When we realized we couldn’t escape down the stairs and no one came to help us, it felt very strange. I was overwhelmed, I felt that I could not protect my son and I started to panic.’
Another passenger, Fernando Suarez Mella, came to his aid as he returned to his cabin to charge his camera when he saw the plane tilting.
Mr. Suarez-Milla managed to grab a leg and help the father and son out, but in doing so he himself was trapped below deck.
They told the father and son to leave and Mr. Suarez swam out from under the bottom of the muddy boat.
The group of passengers have now set up a page called GoFundMe to try to raise funds to recover all their lost assets and launch a legal case against the company, which they claim Tried to force him to give false statements to the authorities.
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They say that Carlton Fleet, the company responsible for the boat, left them stranded without passports and with no help.
Other passengers on the boat, Zoe and Dominique from Germany, wrote on the fundraising page: ‘We were threatened, lied to and made false statements to the authorities by the representative of the company organizing the trip. Pressured to give in, which of course we didn’t.
“Instead of sending doctors, they sent lawyers, instead of helping, they tried to instill fear in us and instead of taking responsibility for what happened, they didn’t even come to the meeting they initially invited us to.” Said to offer compensation.’
“Almost all of us have lost our belongings except shorts and T-shirts,” he added.
‘Because we are a group, some of us are able to cope with the financial loss, however others are in a really desperate situation and have even lost the equipment they need to get back to work. The company which organized this trip is not ready to pay even a single cent.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Carlton Fleet, owner of the Carlton Queen, said: ‘It goes without saying that the safe return of all on board is a testament to the efficient handling of the situation by the crew members, who have all Save passengers lives.
‘Fortunately, and despite sensational accusations from some disgruntled guests, only three divers suffered minor injuries and were treated in hospital at the company’s expense.
‘Carleton Queen staff members followed safety protocols appropriate to the circumstances, which led to the immediate evacuation of people. Immediately after the crash, the captain fired six flares into the air to alert a freighter of the need for assistance, after which it changed course.’
The statement added: ‘Although we are deeply saddened by the accident, we are relieved that all guests and crew members have returned safely to shore. Investigations are underway and our staff members and staff are cooperating with them.
Carlton Fleet’s team has emphasized that the Carlton Queen was recently refurbished, with all the necessary restoration work done. All these inspections were fine and as per technical reports it was fit for operation.
He claimed that the compensation offer was rejected and said that the guests had ‘threatened’ him for more money.
Carlton Fleet has been contacted for further comment.