Egypt’s environment ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the women were attacked by a shark while swimming in the Red Sea near the resort of Hurghada. The governor of the wider Red Sea Governorate, Major General Amr Hanafi, ordered the suspension of all water activities in the area of ​​the deadly attacks, according to the ministry. The ministry said an expert committee has been formed to investigate the circumstances of the incidents and any scientific reasons behind them. The team is “still completing its work to find out exactly the reasons for the behavior of the shark that attacked the two victims,” ​​according to the ministry. It was unclear whether the same shark was involved in both attacks. “The Ministry of Environment regrets the accident and extends its deepest condolences to the families of the two victims and expresses its sincere thanks and appreciation to all concerned parties for their support,” the ministry added. The ministry did not release the identities of the two women. However, the Associated Press reported that one was a 68-year-old Austrian woman and the other was a Romanian tourist. A spokesman for Austria’s foreign ministry confirmed to ABC News on Monday that an Austrian citizen from the western state of Tyrol has died in Egypt. The Austrian embassy in Cairo is in contact with the victim’s relatives as well as the Egyptian authorities, according to the spokesman, who would not provide further information for “data protection and confidentiality reasons”. A Romanian Foreign Ministry spokesman also confirmed to ABC News on Monday that a Romanian woman vacationing in Hurghada died after being attacked by a shark. The Romanian embassy in Cairo is in contact with Egyptian authorities and is working with Romanian authorities to identify the victims’ relatives, according to the spokesman, who said they “cannot offer any additional or specific details about the victim.” . Shark attacks in Egypt’s Red Sea coastal region have been relatively rare in recent years. In 2020, a 12-year-old Ukrainian boy lost an arm and an Egyptian tour guide lost a leg in a shark attack while snorkeling off the coast of Sharm El-Sheikh, another Red Sea resort town.