Egypt boat fire: three Brits who died in fire on dive boat are named

Three Britons who died after a scuba diving boat burst into flames in the Red Sea off Egypt have been named.

Christina Quinn, 58, had previously been confirmed as one of the victims but now authorities have said that Stephen Hill and Paul Darling were the two other passengers who were killed. All three were on a medium-sized boat that caught fire off the resort town of Marsa Alam on Sunday (11 June).

St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth, where Ms Quinn, 58, was chief executive, paid tribute to her on Wednesday (14 June) evening while the company Scuba Travel which operates trips on the Hurricane confirmed that Mr Hill and Mr Darling were victims.

Her family paid tribute to her in a statement released by the hospice, saying she will be “missed beyond words”. A spokesperson for her family said: “It is with great sadness that we confirm the tragic death of Christina Quinn in Egypt. She was a sister, daughter, wife, aunty, friend, and rock to many. She will be missed beyond words. We would ask for privacy at this time.”

Ms Quinn took up her role as chief executive at St Luke’s in May this year following a “long and impactful” career with the NHS, most recently as director of NHS South West Leadership Academy.

Charles Hackett, chairman of St Luke’s trustees, said she was “incredibly passionate” about the hospice and described her loss as “devastation”.

He said: “Christina was incredibly passionate about St Luke’s and its place at the heart of the community it serves, and we are devastated to lose her warmth, wisdom and leadership.

“Before her recent appointment, Christina had served for six years in a voluntary capacity as chair of St Luke’s board, working closely with the senior management team and her fellow trustees and earning their respect, trust and appreciation.

“With her vibrant and engaging personality and her down to earth, caring nature, as CEO she was quickly building strong and meaningful relationships both inside and outside the organisation. We will miss Christina enormously and our hearts go out to her family and close friends at this tragic time.”

Ms Quinn and the two other British victims, who have not yet been named, were among 15 qualified diving enthusiasts who were on a week’s stay on the Hurricane dive boat when the fire broke out at around 8:30am local time (6:30am UK time).

A spokesman for Scuba Travel confirmed the deaths of the three Britons and said in a statement to Sky News: “It is with great regret that we, as tour operator, with heavy hearts, must accept that three of our much-valued dive guests, perished in the tragic incident. Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to their families and friends at this very sad time.”

The three passengers were among 15 qualified diving enthusiasts who were on a week’s stay on board the Hurricane when the fire broke out at around 8.30am local time (6.30am UK time).

The statement added: “At the time the fire broke out, 12 divers were participating in a briefing on board, while those missing had apparently decided not to dive that morning.”

A nearby craft was used to evacuate 12 divers, and the 14 crew members also had to abandon ship after trying to reach the missing guests, according to Scuba Travel. Egyptian authorities had earlier said that following an initial examination of the vessel it was found that “an electrical short circuit in the boat’s engine room sparked the blaze”.

Egypt’s Red Sea resorts harbour some of the country’s most renowned beach destinations and are popular with European holidaymakers, having cemented its reputation as a dive destination with easy access to coral reefs from shores, and dive sites offering diverse marine life.