Khaberni - The Egyptian authorities have opened an investigation into the circumstances of what happened to three Russian tourists who disappeared in Cairo for several days, after they missed their scheduled return to their homeland, and their disappearance caused widespread controversy and appeals from their families to determine their fate.
The Russian Embassy in Cairo said in a statement that "referring to what was published in the media about the disappearance of Russian citizens in Egypt, it is reported that three Russians arrived from Yekaterinburg to Sharm el-Sheikh on January 21st, and from there, they went to Cairo on their own, and soon lost contact with their relatives. Since they were not on the return flight, the embassy sent a request to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and security agencies to help determine their whereabouts."
The embassy further stated in its statement that preliminary information indicated that they "are currently detained by the Egyptian police, and an investigation into the circumstances of what happened to them is underway. The embassy is making every effort to ensure their safe return to Russia."
In response to a request from "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" for a comment, the media section at the Russian Embassy in Cairo indicated that it currently has no additional information concerning what happened to the three tourists, or the reasons that led to them missing their flight or traveling to Cairo alone.
Mohamed Amer, Director of the Central Administration for Hotel Establishments and Tourist Activities at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, told "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" that the case of the disappearance of the three tourists is currently in the hands of the Egyptian Ministry of the Interior, and that the Ministry of Tourism will investigate whether they came to Egypt through a tourism company or on their own; if they came through a tourism company, there is a department in the ministry responsible for overseeing tourism companies, and it will follow up on the matter and investigate it.
The Russian agency "Novosti" reported, quoting sources about the disappearance of three Russian tourists in Cairo, who left their hotel last Monday and did not return to their country. It added that the missing tourists are Vladislav Rivinko, Nikita Talanov, and Alexander Kostenko, and that they arrived in Egypt from the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on the 21st of this month and were scheduled to leave the city of Sharm el-Sheikh six days after their arrival.
According to the report by the Russian agency, Pavel Rivinko, the father of one of the missing tourists said: "My son and his friend have not contacted us for three days," adding that the last time his son spoke with his family was from the city of 6th of October in Giza Governorate, located west of Cairo.
The father mentioned that the Egyptian airline "Red Sea Airlines" sent a notification on January 28 stating that the two young men did not show up for the scheduled return flight to Russia, which alarmed the families and prompted them to immediately report their disappearance, before the Russian Embassy in Egypt revealed the discovery of the three tourists, who are currently in the custody of the Egyptian police.
