An Italian tourist died in a Nile River collision, leading to a captain's license suspension and an ongoing investigation into maritime violations.
Egyptian authorities have confirmed that one passenger lost their life due to a collision between two passenger ships navigating the Nile River. The deceased was identified as a 47-year-old Italian female tourist. Following the incident, the captain of one of the vessels had their license suspended, and an investigation was initiated for violating maritime regulations.
The General Directorate of River Transport accused the captain of the passenger ship Royal Beau Rivage of making a sudden and sharp maneuver that led to the collision. The Royal Beau Rivage, a luxury riverboat with a capacity of over 140 passengers and 71 cabins, entered service in September 2022.
At the time of the accident, approximately 80 Italian tourists were on board the Royal Beau Rivage, which was navigating towards the Esna Dam near Aswan, about 32 kilometers south of Luxor. The collision occurred on Sunday night, December 21, around 8:00 PM local time.
The other riverboat involved, named Opera, built in 2009 and capable of carrying 199 passengers, reported damage to its bow as a result of the collision. Three of the four cabins in the front section of the Royal Beau Rivage sustained severe damage. The injured Italian tourist in one of the damaged cabins suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital despite all medical interventions.
It was noted that the Opera was en route from Aswan to Luxor and had passed a critical point, while the Royal Beau Rivage was heading from Luxor to Aswan. The collision reportedly occurred approximately 1.2 miles before the critical point.
While some reports expressed concerns about potential additional casualties, Italy's Ambassador to Cairo stated that no other serious injuries had been reported. Authorities announced that traffic on the Nile River returned to normal on Monday.
River authorities emphasized that vessels navigating downstream are given priority according to navigation rules. They stated that the Royal Beau Rivage was found to have violated these rules, leading to the suspension of the captain's license and the referral of the case to the prosecutor's office for further investigation.
