The Austrian woman, who died after having her arm and leg amputated near the popular resort of Hurghada, has been named as 68-year-old former councilor Elisabeth Sauer. She was seen wading in shallow water near the beach after allegedly telling her partner, an Austrian of Egyptian origin: “I’ll be back in a moment.” A video widely shared online – reportedly of the attack but which The Independent was unable to verify – appeared to show Ms Sauer trying to swim ashore as bystanders threw a flotation device towards her from a jetty. It is believed to have been attacked by a Mako or white shark at the popular Sahl Hasheesh Bay on the Red Sea coast on Friday. Paying tribute, the local Green Party in Kramsach wrote on Facebook: “We mourn the death of Elisabeth Sauer (68), who died in a tragic accident! Our deepest condolences to the family! “Elisabeth was a committed Green from the first hour in Kramsach, a councilor from 1998 – 2004, for many years a loyal deputy councilor and GR – candidate! May she rest in peace! “We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere condolences and sympathies. We will always remember her for her warm and humanly connecting way.” The victim was taken to a private hospital immediately after the attack, but died of circulatory failure – a sudden drop in blood pressure due to injuries and blood loss – according to a source at the Red Sea Health Affairs Directorate. Empty sunbeds are seen during low tide on the beach of the Red Sea resort of Sahl Hasheesh, Hurghada (Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters/File Image) Some reports say the Austrian woman was a tourist visiting Egypt with her partner and was due to return home on Sunday, while others claim she had been living in Egypt for the past five years with her Egyptian husband. On Sunday, it was revealed that a second woman had died in a separate shark attack just 650ft away from Ms Sauer. The victim of the second attack has not been named but is believed to have been a Romanian tourist. Romania’s foreign ministry said it was working to identify the victim, inform the family and return the body. Egypt’s Red Sea Government ordered the closure of many Red Sea beaches on Saturday, banning water activities including diving, snorkeling, wind surfing and kite sailing. Fishing vessels were also banned from the waters off Hurghada. Shark attacks have been relatively rare in Egypt’s Red Sea coastal region in recent years. Tourists snorkel near a beach in the Red Sea resort of Sahl Hasheesh, Hurghada, in January 2020 (Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters/File Image) In 2020, a young Ukrainian boy lost an arm and an Egyptian tour guide lost a leg in a shark attack. In 2010, a series of shark attacks killed a European tourist and maimed several others off Sharm el-Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula, across the Red Sea from Hurghada. Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, such as Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, are some of the country’s major beach destinations and are popular with European tourists. Divers are drawn to the sheer drop offs of coral reefs just offshore that offer a rich and colorful marine life. Additional reports from agencies
