An air operation was launched Wednesday to search for a 21-year-old Saudi man who went missing from a ferry coming from the Egyptian port of Hurgada to the Saudi port of Dhiba Tuesday evening. Salah Al-Zahrani was with his friends on the ferry when he went missing, Al-Madina Arabic newspaper reported. The paper said several crew members and passengers were taken into custody for investigation. There were 73 passengers on board including 12 Saudis during the ferry's regular shuttle between the two ports. The Frontier Guard in Dhiba Governorate is leading the search operations using rescue helicopters from King Faisal Air Base. Al-Zahrani is a resident of Jeddah. He had taken the ferry with his sister's son who was the one who alerted the crew at 12.00 noon Tuesday about his missing uncle. The crew searched the ferry, including the cargo hold. As the ferry approached Dhiba, about 18 kilometers outside, the crew sent a message asking Dhiba Port Tower for help. On docking, Frontier Guards moved in and searched the ferry thoroughly. Sources said they found a hat that Zahrani was seen holding as he stood near a sealed gate close to the ferry's smoking area. Investigators have not ruled out the possibility of the man having fallen overboard, though the fast ferry has barriers on all sides. The ferry was allowed to leave Dhiba on its regular schedule. Investigations are under way in the Kingdom and Egypt. __
