A vacation on Egypt’s Nile River ended in tragedy after a cruise ship carrying dozens of Italian tourists collided with another tourism vessel, leaving one passenger dead.
At around 7 p.m. local time on Sunday, Dec. 21, approximately 70 Italian tourists were aboard the Royal Beau Rivage when it struck another cruise ship less than 20 miles from Luxor — an area known for its ancient ruins — according to Italian news outlets L’Unione Sarda, Il Messaggero and ANSA.
The victim was identified as Denise Ruggeri, a 47-year-old teacher from Italy who was traveling with her husband. Reports said she fell during the impact and suffered fatal injuries.
Authorities said the crash happened as the ships attempted to pass through a lock on the waterway, L’Unione Sarda reported. The collision reportedly threw some passengers into the water and caused significant damage on board, including the destruction of four cabins.
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Il Messaggero reported that Ruggeri sustained a punctured lung after falling inside her cabin. Despite medical intervention, she could not be saved.
Ruggeri was from Cagnano Amiterno, a small town in Italy’s Abruzzo region, and worked as a teacher in nearby Pizzoli.
“At present, there is no news of other Italians being involved; they are all believed to be safe,” said Agostino Palese, the Italian ambassador to Cairo, per Il Messaggero.
An investigation is underway in Egypt, ANSA reported.
The Italian Embassy in Cairo, Nile Cruisers and the Maritime Transport and Logistics Sector in Alexandria, Egypt did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
