A second woman has died after being attacked by a shark in Egypt's Red Sea, following an earlier incident involving an Austrian pensioner.
Two sources told Reuters that the body of a Romanian tourist in her late forties was discovered just hours after a 68-year-old Austrian woman was fatally attacked.
Both attacks happened within 600 metres of each other, off the coast of Sahl Hasheesh, according to the sources.
Confirming the two deaths, the Egyptian Ministry of Environment said in a statement that a committee had been formed to examine the circumstances of the attacks, and to find any scientific reasons behind them.
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It also said that Major General Amr Hanafi, the Governor of the Red Sea Governorate, has issued an order to suspend all activity in the area surrounding the location of the attacks.
The first victim had been swimming at Sahl Hasheesh – a popular bay on the Red Sea coast close to Sharm El Sheikh – on Friday 1 July when the creature attacked.
She had reportedly been able to swim to the shore, but sadly later died.
A source at the Red Sea Health Affairs Directorate told Reuters that the woman had been transferred to a local private hospital, but succumbed to her injuries despite attempts to resuscitate her.
A 'security source' added that the woman had been living in Egypt with her Egyptian husband for the past five years.
Horrifying footage captured by Russian tourists showed pools of blood around the woman as she struggled to make her way back to the pier, with onlookers watching on in shock.
Some witnesses said she had lost an arm, others said she had lost an arm and a leg,
In the wake of the attack, one local publication reported: "The pensioner was swimming in the Sahl Hashish area, south of the resort of Hurghada, on Friday.
"She was attacked by a shark which bit off her arm and leg. She tried to reach shore on her own…
"Medics arrived and took her to hospital. Along the way the doctors performed resuscitation measures, but her heart was not restarted.
"The woman died in the ambulance."
According to a guide on Red Sea shark attacks, such incidents are very rare, especially for those swimming near the beach in day time.
"As of June 2021, we only know of four fatalities off the Egyptian coast as a consequence of shark attacks during the last ten years," the report states.
"Of the 368 species of shark worldwide only 20 represent any danger to humans. And statistically shark attacks are very rare."
It continues: "Annually over one million people are killed in car accidents every year, but worldwide fatalities from shark attacks average just five a year."
Topics: World News
Jess Hardiman