Egypt hunts missing cargo ship

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt is searching for a cargo ship that went missing in the Red Sea with 15 people on board, state news agency MENA said on Tuesday.

The Badr 1 went missing several days ago, MENA quoted Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Ahmed al-Qweisni as saying.

Afro-Asia Shipping, which owns the vessel, Egyptian search and rescue authorities and Egypt's navy had failed to find any trace of the ship, according to MENA.

A search plane would also be dispatched, MENA said.

The vessel left Suez heading towards Port Said with 10 Egyptians, four Sudanese and a Yemeni on board. It was carrying 1,700 tonnes of cargo and had not sent any distress signals, MENA reported.