Survivors of a deadly dive boat that sank in the Red Sea say they were pressured to sign official witness statements in Arabic – which they could not understand and were interrupted – translated from English by an employee of the boat company.
They say the man tried to get them to sign waivers that said he did not accuse anyone of a “criminal offense.”
The 11 survivors who spoke to the BBC have also accused the Egyptian authorities of trying to cover up what happened, saying investigators were determined to blame him. on a big wave.
The Sea Story was carrying 46 people when it sank in the early hours of November 25 last year – four bodies have been recovered and seven people are still missing, including two British divers.
Neither the Egyptian government nor the boat operators – Dive Pro Liveaboard, based in Hurghada – have answered our questions.
Tuesday, the BBC revealed several allegations from survivors of safety failures on board the ship. A leading oceanographer who analyzed weather data also said it was unlikely that a large wave had hit the ship.
'Interrogation' from hospital beds
Within hours of being brought ashore, survivors say they were subjected to “interrogation”, some from their hospital beds, by people they were told were the judges.
Those who did not require hospital treatment were interviewed at a nearby resort, said survivors, who described similar feelings of being under pressure.
“We were told we couldn't leave the room until they'd done everyone's statements,” said Sarah Martin, an NHS doctor from Lancashire.
The judges were part of an Egyptian investigation into what caused it to sink – although survivors say it was unclear who was in charge.
Survivors say their original statements were translated into Arabic by an employee of the company with which the Sea Story was a conflict of interest.
Spanish diver Hissora Gonzalez said the man did not introduce himself as an employee at first. “He said, 'You have to tell me what happened, and then you have to sign this piece of paper.'”
It wasn't until later, say several people we spoke to, that the man told them he worked for Dive Pro Liveaboard.
Survivors say that after being translated by the man, their statements were given to investigators – much to Lisa Wolf's surprise. “A normal judge cannot take a translation from someone who is completely involved in the process.”
“They could have written anything. I don't know what I signed,” Frøydis Adamson told the BBC (Frøydis Adamson)
One survivor, a Norwegian police inspector, said she had “no idea” what the four Arabic pages said back to her. “They could have written anything. I don't know what I signed,” explained Frøydis Adamson. Under her signature she says she wrote that she was unable to read the documents.
“We were in such shock and just wanted to go home,” Hissora said.
'Publication of liability document'
Representatives of the boat operators, Dive Pro Liveaboard, also tried several times to push people to sign waivers – say the survivors – that would be seen as agreeing to the statement: “I am not a ' accuse any person of any crime. “
Justin Hodges, an American diver who was also rescued, told us that he was given a “liability release document”, written in English, while he was giving his statement of evidence.
He said he thought the person he was talking to was an “officer”, but at this point he learned he worked for the company.
“He slipped in with the authorities,” says Justin. “The fact that he tried to get us to release responsibility at that point was crazy to me.”
At least some of the people we spoke to did not sign the document.
Everyone we spoke to said they were not allowed to keep copies of their statements, but the BBC was told some people managed to translate the documents using their phones. Many of those told us that important, damning details that they had verbally shared were left out of the papers.
“Everything about the condition of the life rafts and safety issues on the boat went away,” said Lisa.
Sarah and Hissora described a similar experience. “They just sent whatever they wanted,” Hissora said.
'The only one responsible is the sea'
The survivors also say that the authorities seemed determined to blame the accident on a large wave from the outset.
That is despite the fact that many of those who were rescued say that the waves were not too big to stop them from swimming. A leading oceanographer has told the BBC that meteorological data from the nearest airport strongly supports the survivors' memories.
(BBC)
Hissora asked if she could finally see a copy of the investigators' final report, but she says she was told there was no need. “(It seems) they already knew it was a wave,” she says.
When she asked again, Hissora said she was told “the sea is the only one responsible for this.” She believes the authorities had already made up their minds before the investigation had even begun.
Hissora's concerns are shared by Sarah, who says the judges were also “very keen” that the survivors did not blame anyone for the accident.
Several survivors say they were told that if they wanted to hold anyone accountable, they had to name a separate and specific crime they were accused of.
“Just because I couldn't name the person and the crime, that didn't mean someone wasn't to blame,” said Sarah.
A last ditch effort by Dive Pro Liveaboard to get the survivors to sign an indemnity came when one group tried to leave for Cairo, says Justin.
After losing their passports at sea, he says the group was told by a company representative that the documents they were given to get through checkpoints were clearance papers.
“But then I get to the bottom and the last sentence is the only question about the distribution of liability,” – a repetition of the one he says he was asked to sign when he passed his witness statement.
Justin says he went to inform the others and, when he returned to the man he believed was trying to trick him, the papers had “magically disappeared” and more substitute official documents.
“My blood was boiling,” he says.
The BBC has not seen the transfer documents or copies of them.
British couple still missing
Among the missing are two Britons, Jenny Cawson and Tarig Sinada from Devon.
“They were the kindest, most caring and most generous of souls,” said Andy Wilson, a friend of the couple.
He says their family has always received partial and inaccurate news from the Egyptian government.
For example, after the accident they say that they were told that the boat was not found – despite the fact that they saw on TV people who survived the wreck being brought ashore. They want an open investigation.
“Egyptian authorities seem to be doing their best to sweep this under the carpet,” Andrew said. “They want to protect their tourism industry.”
Tarig and Jenny have not been found (BBC)
In March, a fire on another Dive Pro Liveaboard boat – the Sea Legend – killed a German tourist.
Last year, Maritime Survey International, an independent consultancy, produced a report on the safety of diving boats in the Red Sea. They inspected eight vessels, although none were operated by Dive Pro Liveaboard, and found that none had a “planned maintenance system, safety management system or stability books”, a vital document to avoid excess.
It also found that design standards were “poor with a lack of water-tight bulkheads, doors and hatches”.
They concluded that not a single vessel was safe and that the diving industry in Egypt is “making its trade largely unregulated”.
On January 7, a group of 15 survivors, including many of those we spoke to, sent an email to the Egyptian Chamber of Diving and Water Sports (CDWS), which manages its all diving activities and are linked to the Ministry of Tourism.
They expressed their safety concerns and questioned why the Dive Pro Liveaboard was still able to operate. The director general of CDWS responded on January 9 and said there was an ongoing investigation into the matter, which was being taken “very seriously”.
He said “adequate action” would be taken “against any negligence… leading to compromise of people's safety”.
