Doomed Red Sea tourist sub dived with hatches STILL OPEN, survivor says after first of six tragic victims are revealed

THE doomed submarine that sank in the Red Sea dived with its hatches still open, a traumatised survivor has sensationally revealed.

Six are dead and 39 have been miraculously rescued after the Sindbad pleasure submarine sank off the coast of the resort city of Hurghada while full of Russian tourists.

Dozens of holidaymakers were on board the vessel which sank about a kilometre off the Egyptian coast on Thursday.

Local authorities claimed six people had died, but Moscow's embassy in Cairo said five Russians had died after the disaster at 10am local time (8am UK time).

Sadly, two of the dead are children.

Survivor Elena Boldareva said the submarine sank because it dived with his hatches open. 

She said that “some managed to swim out, some didn’t" as people saved themselves as best they could.

Elena's daughter and mother were taken to hospital in a serious condition. 

If you know more about what happened or if you have ever been on a Sindbad submarine please contact james.halpin@the-sun.co.uk

The first victims have been revealed as husband and wife Russian doctors.

Anaesthetist Ravil Valiullin, 40, and his wife Kristina, 39, a children’s doctor, were killed on the vessel. 

The pair worked at the Urussu Central Regional Hospital in Russia's central region called Tatarstan.

The Sindbad submarine was carrying 45 tourists as it made a 40-minute journey to view a reef.

Twenty-nine were pulled from the shark-infested waters, but nine were injured, including four who have been left fighting for their lives in a critical condition.

Russian media reported there were 15 children on board and 38 people have been rescued.

The nationality of the sixth death remains unknown.

Survivors have been taken back to their hotels while the injured have been taken to hospital.

It is not yet clear the ratio of tourists to crew members in the vessel - which is claimed to be one of only 14 real recreational submarines in the world.

The submarine has room for 44 passengers and two pilots, with a round viewing window for each person on board.

An investigation has now been launched by Egyptian authorities.

However, it is not the first accident involving a tourist sub off Egypt.

The passengers were part of the Biblio Globus company and many were staying at Sindbad hotel - which owned and operated the submarine under the brand Sindbad Submarines.

Tourists are typically taken up to 85 feet below the balmy waters of the Red Sea for 40 minutes.

Footage from promotional videos show the passengers being sealed into the submarine cabin where they sit on benches along each side of the cabin to view colourful sea-life and spectacular corals.

The tours are popular with families with children.

An adult ticket costs £53 while a child's ticket costs £25 for the three-hour journey which includes a boat ride out to the waiting to submersible.

Shows are also performed by divers outside the boat.

The Russian embassy in Cairo confirmed the accident involved its nationals.

A statement said: "On March 27, at about 10:00, the Sindbad bathyscaphe, owned by the hotel of the same name, crashed 1km off the shore. […] In addition to the crew, there were 45 tourists on board, including minors. All of them are Russian citizens.

"Most of those on board were rescued and taken to their hotels and hospitals in Hurghada.

"Their health condition is not a concern. Four people died. The fate of several tourists is being clarified."

Holidaymakers have left eerie reviews of the Sindbad submarine tour just months before it is believed to have hit the reef.

In a Tripadvisor review from a holiday in October, stubbyd from Bridgend said: "they also 'big up' the qualifications of the captain.

"But constantly bumping the sub on the sea floor is not good for the sea life, sea floor, my sanity of ultimately I'd say the sub!"

Hurghada is a popular tourist destination for Brits and Germans and a number of nautical jaunts operate from the resort.

It stretches some 25 miles across the Egyptian coast with the Red Sea and is frequented by sun-lovers and divers.

A German couple and their child drowned in a submarine accident off Hurghada in 2021.

Thirteen other tourists of different nationalities were rescued after the sub reportedly crashed into a coral reef.

In February, another tourist boat disaster happened further south in Marsa Alam.

Four died after when a scuba diving boat capsized and seven tragically remain missing four months on.

The boat had been carrying tourists from locations like Britain, the US, and Germany.

The potential risk of private submarines was brought sharply into focus when the 2023 Titan sub disaster shocked the world after a custom-built submersible imploded as it dived the wreck of the doomed Titanic.

A frantic but ultimately futile search was launched for the sub - but all five on board were killed instantly in the horror crush.

The Sun has contacted Sindbad Submarines for comment.