Cruise on the Nile ended in tragedy: an Italian tourist died after a collision between ships

A holiday in Egypt turned into a nightmare along the waters of the Nile, where a collision between two cruise ships caused the death of Denise Ruggeri, a 47-year-old Italian tourist from the province of L’Aquila. The woman was traveling with her husband on board the Royal Beau Rivage, one of the boats involved in the accident which occurred near Luxor, in one of the areas most frequented by international tourism.

The collision occurred in the evening, when the Royal Beau Rivage hit another vessel while maneuvering along the river. The impact was violent: the bow of the other boat was damaged and three or four cabins of the ship on which the victim was traveling were completely destroyed. There were also dozens of other Italian passengers on board, fortunately unharmed but deeply shaken by the incident.

Denise Ruggeri lived in Abruzzo, came from Cagnano Amiterno and worked as a teacher in a school in the L’Aquila area. At the time of the collision she was inside her cabin: the fall caused by the collision caused a serious injury to a lung. Despite immediate rescue attempts, the injuries quickly proved fatal.

Responsibilities and withdrawal of the license

Egyptian authorities quickly launched an investigation, placing responsibility for the accident on the commander of the Royal Beau Rivage. According to the official reconstruction, international river navigation rules were violated, in particular those relating to right-of-way and maneuvers in delicate sections of the river. For this reason, the captain’s navigation license was withdrawn and suspended.

The episode reignites attention on the safety of cruises on the Nile, which has already been the scene of fires, sinkings and other serious accidents in the past. Although the authorities have secured the area to ensure the continuity of tourist navigation, there remains strong concern for the protection of passengers.

Numerous messages of condolence and closeness to the victim’s family arrived from Italy. The institutions are following the case carefully, while the Abruzzo community is grieving over a sudden and unfair loss, which occurred during what was supposed to be a journey of discovery and serenity.