Three Britons are missing after a boat carrying tourists burst into flames in the Red Sea off Egypt.

The country’s Red Sea Governate said 12 crew members and 12 British tourists were rescued when a medium-sized scuba diving boat christened Hurricane went up in flames off the resort town of Marsa Alam on Sunday.

A search party was launched to find the remaining three British tourists, whose identities have not been revealed.

Following an initial examination of the vessel, Egyptian authorities said “an electrical short circuit in the boat’s engine room sparked the blaze”.

A spokesperson for Tornado Marine Fleet, which owns the boat, said: “Today at 6.30am at Elphinstone, while doing the diving briefing, Hurricane caught fire.

“We do have three missing British passengers and all others … reached the nearest land safely.

“Now we are bringing the boat back to the marina under authority supervision.”

Searches for the missing Britons continue and a further update will be provided once investigations are complete, the spokesperson added.

The boat left Port Ghalib on Tuesday and was due to return on Sunday, reports say.

The Foreign Office is supporting British nationals involved.

A spokesperson said: “We are in contact with local authorities following an incident aboard a dive boat near Marsa Alam and are supporting British nationals involved.”

Egypt’s Red Sea resorts harbour some of the country’s most renowned beach destinations and are popular with European holidaymakers.

It has cemented its reputation as a dive destination with easy access to coral reefs from shores and dive sites offering diverse marine life.