Five young men in Esna city, south of Luxor, drowned after a group of them took to the Nile River near the new Esna Dam.
Mohamed Mahrous, a correspondent in Luxor for the Extra Channel, said during a phone interview that seven young men were swimming in the area when five of them drowned, while two survived.
He explained that the river rescue teams recovered four bodies, while search and rescue operations continued for the remaining victim.
Mahrous noted that the strong current near the new dam area hampered the search and rescue efforts.
According to initial reports, the men went to the Nile River to cool off from the high temperatures Luxor experiences during the summer.
The reporter said that the recovered bodies were transferred to Tiba Specialized Hospital in Esna, while security forces and rescue teams continued searching for the missing victim.
Security and executive leaderships, including Luxor Security Director, went to the scene of the accident to oversee the search operations.
Of the two survivors, Mahrous noted that one is receiving treatment in the hospital for suffocation, while the other is in stable condition and is expected to be discharged after further evaluation.
The victims’ families gathered in front of Tiba Specialized Hospital awaiting the arrival of the bodies for burial in their hometown of al-Deir village in Esna.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
