Egyptian Transport Minister
Mohammed Lutfy Mansour told CNN television that 263
survivors have been found so far.
Rescue officials said 185 bodies have been pulled
from the waters some 90 kilometers off the Egyptian port
of Safaga, which was to be the ship's final destination.
Rescue boats and helicopters are in the area, but
have been hampered by poor weather.
The cause of the sinking is unclear but there were
high winds when the vessel left Duba in western Saudi
Arabia yesterday.
Reports say most of the passengers were Egyptian
workers returning from Saudi Arabia, but some were
believed to have been pilgrims returning from Mecca.
