A spokesman for Scuba Travel said: "It is with great regret that we, as tour operator, with heavy hearts, must accept that three of our much -valued dive guests, perished in the tragic incident.

"Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to their families and friends at this very sad time."

In a statement, the company said the three passengers were among 15 qualified diving enthusiasts who were on a week's stay on board the "Hurricane" dive boat when the fire broke out on Sunday.

"At the time the fire broke out, 12 divers were participating in a briefing on board, while those missing had apparently decided not to dive that morning."

According to Scuba Travel, the severity of the fire meant that 12 of the divers were immediately evacuated to another craft nearby and the 14 crew members also had to abandon ship after trying to reach the missing guests.

A full investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out by police and local authorities.

The "Hurricane" is being towed to a yet to be decided port as it is still smouldering and will need to cool down before entry.