Second woman killed by shark in Red Sea

Local authorities have closed part of the coastline to investigate the tragedy, the Egyptian Ministry of Environment said

A second woman has died as the result of a shark attack off the Red Sea coast near the Egyptian town of Hurghada, the country’s Ministry of Environment said on Facebook on Sunday.

“Immediately upon receiving information on the shark attack on two women swimming near the resort of Sahl Hasheesh in Hurghada, Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad gave the directive to establish a working group of specialists of the Red Sea nature reserves,” its statement read.

News of a second victim came after a 68-year-old Austrian woman reportedly died in a shark attack. The victim apparently lost a leg and an arm and passed away due to nervous shock soon after being transferred to the private Nile Hospital in Hurghada.

“Experts are reviewing the circumstances of the incident to accurately determine why the shark behaved the way it did and killed two persons,” the ministry said, offering its condolences to the families of the deceased.

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City records first fatal shark attack in almost 60 years

The tragedy prompted local authorities on Saturday to close part of the Red Sea coast and stop all nearby activities for three days, including diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, and kite sailing.

Shark attacks are rare in the Red Sea, although one notorious incident took place in October 2020, when a 12-year-old Ukrainian boy and his tour guide lost limbs after an attack off the coast of Sharm el-Sheikh.

In December 2010, there were five shark assaults near the same town, which claimed the life of a German tourist and seriously injured three Russians and a Ukrainian.

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