An Egyptian ro-ro is reported to have caused significant damage to a coral reef after grounding off Jordan.

A government official in Aqaba told The National daily that the 1,000-lane-metre Lotus (built 1990) had got stuck on Tuesday.

State broadcaster Al Mamlaka cited another unidentified source as saying that “large damage has been sustained by the coral as a result of the ship running aground in the Gulf of Aqaba”.