The boat's operator, Tornado Marine Fleet, said 15 British passengers had been on board along with 12 crew members and two guides. Twenty-six other people, including 12 Britons, were rescued from the boat, called Hurricane, which was off the coast of Marsa Alam, authorities said.

In a statement, the tour operator Scuba Travel confirmed the deaths of the three passengers, saying its guests perished when the dive boat, MV Hurricane, went up in flames at around 8:30 am local time on Sunday.  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 full investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out by police and local authorities. 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”.

Main news outlets have more details on the developing story - see links below to BBC, CNN and The Guardian