CAIRO, Feb. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Egyptian officials said on Friday that 14 bodies and 12 survivors have been found after the Egyptian ferry carrying some 1,300 people sank in the Red Sea."We've found 14 bodies and 12 survivors," said an official of the Red Sea port authority.

Policemen block the way to port area at Safaga in Egypt waiting for the dead and survivors from ferry Al Salam 98.

    Egyptian maritime officials in Suez said earlier that bodies and lifeboats were spotted on Friday by an Egyptian helicopter near the place where the ship was last seen on the radar screen but failed to give the exact number.

    The bodies were seen in the waters off Safaga, some 600 kilometers (370 miles) southeast of the Egyptian capital Cairo.

    Egyptian Minister of Transport Mohamed Mansour told CNN that four Egyptian frigates have sailed to rescue the survivors.

    According to Egyptian officials, the ship, Al Salaam 98, with 1,300 passengers, 22 cars, 16 trucks aboard, disappeared from the radar screen shortly after it left the Saudi port of Dubah at 7 p.m. local time (17:00 GMT) on Thursday for the Egyptian Red Seaport of Safaga.

    The ship should have arrived at 3 a.m. (1:00 GMT) on Friday,but did not, the officials added.

    Saudi and Egyptian naval vessels and helicopters have been conducting a search for the ship in the Red Sea.

    Television footage showed scenes of rough sea and officials said bad weather was apparently hampering rescue efforts.

    There is no immediate word on the cause of the accident, but it is speculated that the cruiser might have run aground in poor weather.

    An Egyptian official indicated that possibility of collision has been ruled out.

    "The area is fully covered by radar systems and we haven't picked up communications" about a collision, said the official.

    The ship is owned by the Egyptian company El-Salaam Maritime Transport Co. and most of the passengers on board are believed to be Egyptian pilgrims returning from the Saudi holy city of Mecca.

    It is the second time a cruiser owned by the company has suffered a major accident in less than four months. Al-Salaam 95, sister ship of "Salaam 98", carrying about 1,250 Muslim pilgrims back from Saudi Arabia, collided with a Cypriot commercial vessel in the Gulf of Suez on Oct. 17, 2005, killing at least three and injuring dozens of others. Enditem