Six students drown and 21 rushed to hospital after swimming on school trip

Tragedy at Egypt's Abu Talat Beach

Red warning flags were visible around Abu Talat Beach in Alexandria at the time of the drownings, indicating dangerous swimming conditions, and now the country's Ministry of Health and Population has urged the public 'to adhere to safety guidelines on beaches'.

Per Roya News, the MoHP confirmed that this heartbreaking incident occurred while the students were on a school trip organised by an aviation hospitality academy yesterday (August 23).

Emergency services were called out to the scene, with 16 ambulances deployed to provide medical aid on the sand.

Six kids were pronounced dead, three received treatment for their injuries and 21 of their classmates got taken to nearby hospitals.

Emergency services were called to Abu Talat Beach in Alexandria to rescue the group. 

Six students were pronounced dead at the scene, while 21 were taken to hospital and another three treated on the beach. 

Khaled Abdel Ghaffa, Minister of Health and Population, said that all emergency treatment is being made available to the students.

An investigation has opened to determine if proper safety measures were in place.

Three students were treated on site for injuries, while 21 others were taken to nearby hospitals. Thirteen were transported to Agami Specialized Hospital and eight went to Al-Amreya General Hospital, and all were being treated for drowning-related asphyxia and were under the care of specialized teams, per Roya News and Ahram Online.

It is unclear how the incident happened at this point. However, officials in Alexandria have ordered the beach to close and issued red-flag warnings to indicate that the area has hazardous sea conditions and that swimming is prohibited, per Identity Magazine.