08/06/2025
When a Shortcut Turned Deadly and Sent Salem Express to the Sea Floor
On the stormy night of December 14, 1991, the Salem Express departed Jeddah for Safaga but never made it. In a rush to save time, she took an illegal shortcut near Hyndman Reef. Fierce winds and massive waves battered her hull before she slammed bow-first into the reef. The impact tore open her bow ramp, which had been left vulnerable and unsealed. Seawater gushed through the car deck, causing the ship to roll and sink in just 10 to 20 minutes. She capsized so fast that many passengers never had a chance to reach the upper decks or lifeboats.
Only around 180 people survived, with many clinging to lifeboats or wreckage. The official death toll is listed as 470, but survivor accounts and overcrowding reports suggest it could be between 600 and 1200. Today, Salem Express rests at 32 meters deep, her starboard side buried in the seafloor. Divers still find suitcases, lifeboats, toys, and stereos frozen in time. But entering the wreck remains controversial. Many areas are sealed in respect for the dead, and diving guides often discourage or forbid exploration of her interior, treating it more as a war grave than a tourist site.
