Missing hikers found in Saint Catherine; 3 dead, 1 still missing

Three hikers have died in the Saint Catherine area of south Sinai, Armed Forces spokesperson Ahmed Mohamed Ali announced in a statement released on Monday.

The victims were part of a group of eight trekkers who were climbing the Gabal al-Donia Mountain in Saint Catherine. Niravana Atef, a friend of the victims, told Mada Masr that the group was stranded in the Wadi Gibal area of the mountain after a harsh storm on Saturday.

After the storm hit and the hikers’ whereabouts were unknown, their families called on the Armed Forces to launch a search.

Military personnel located four members of the group, who were reportedly immobile and in critical condition, and transported them out of the area. One of the hikers is still reported missing.

While Ali’s statement purported that all eight of the hikers were foreigners, Atef told Mada that in fact they were all Egyptian. Atef also denied other press reports claiming that there were 12 members of the group.

Area residents told the privately owned Al-Tahrir newspaper that the bad weather conditions and cutoff in communications worsened the situation, making it difficult for the hikers to reach out for help.