The ship disappeared form radar screens shortly after leaving port. Its last recorded position was 62 miles out of Dubah.

Helicopters carrying out a search are reported to have spotted bodies in the water and at least one lifeboat carrying three people. At least 100 survivors have so far been rescued and fifteen bodies recovered.

The passengers were mostly Egyptians but included Saudis, Sudanese and other nationalities. A Foreign Office spokesman said that, as far as it was aware, there were no Britons on board. Officials are still investigating.

The Egyptian Minister of Transport, Mohammed Lutfy Mansour, said: "The Coast Guard is doing everything in its power to try to rescue these people."

The Salam 89, owned by the Egyptian company El-Salam Maritime Transport Co., was 35 years old and was registered in Panama. It was built in 1971 and renovated in 1990 in an Egyptian shipyard.

However, Mansour denied it was unsafe, saying: "It met safety requirements. The number of passengers on board is less than the maximum number of people."