A Kent coroner has revealed her investigation into the tragic Hurricane liveaboard fire that claimed the lives of three British divers in Egypt’s Red Sea remains hindered by a lack of documentation from local authorities.
The Tragedy at Sea
On 11 June 2023, Hurricane caught fire off the coast of Marsa Alam during a week-long liveaboard trip. The blaze broke out in the early morning while most guests were preparing for their first dive of the day.
Reports at the time indicated that an electrical fault in the engine room may have sparked the fire. Despite efforts by the crew and local rescue services, three British passengers who had remained in their cabins were unable to escape. The rest of the guests and crew were safely evacuated to nearby vessels.
The victims were later identified as Christina Quinn, chief executive of St Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth; Paul Darling; and Steven Hill, 73, from Ashford, Kent.
Coroner’s Inquest in Kent
An inquest into the deaths has since opened at Kent and Medway Coroners’ Court, overseen by Area Coroner Katrina Hepburn. According to a report in the Evening Standard, the coroner told the hearing there was “limited information” available about the cause of the fire and that her team’s “prolonged efforts” to obtain official documentation from Egyptian authorities had so far been unsuccessful.
The inquest heard that Steven Hill, who was described by his family as a kind and loyal man, is believed to have been asleep in his cabin when the fire began. A post-mortem examination was carried out following the repatriation of his body to the UK, but due to the extent of damage and delays in transport, the precise medical cause of death could not be confirmed.
Coroner Hepburn stated that while the cause could not be established with certainty, it was likely that Mr Hill’s death resulted from prolonged exposure to heat and the effects of fire fumes.
Calls for Transparency and Safety Lessons
The tragedy sparked widespread concern across the diving community and among travel safety advocates. In the weeks following the incident, law firm Irwin Mitchell called for a “full and transparent investigation” to determine what went wrong aboard Hurricane and whether safety procedures were followed.
The case has also reignited questions about dive boat safety standards in the Red Sea and the challenges of ensuring accountability when accidents occur in foreign jurisdictions. The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch later included the Hurricane fire in an official safety bulletin highlighting risks aboard liveaboard vessels operating in the region.
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