The body of a Romanian tourist in her late forties was discovered near the resort of Hurghada, hours after a separate fatal attack on a 68-year-old Austrian woman. Both attacks happened within 600 meters of each other off the coast of Sahl Hasheesh, and video posted online suggests a mako shark was involved in at least one incident. The Governor of the Red Sea Governorate, Major General Amr Hanafi, issued an order to suspend all activity in the area surrounding the attacks. All “sea activities” are prohibited, including diving, snorkeling, wind surfing, kite sailing and fishing boats. Shark attacks are rare in the area, with the latest incidents believed to be the first since 2020. The Austrian was swimming when she was attacked, losing a leg and an arm. She was barely alive when she arrived at a nearby hospital and died a short time later, according to an Egyptian health official. The video posted online shows the woman being attacked by a Mako shark while she was near the shore. In the video, shot from a nearby pier, the water around her turned red with blood. Hurghada, a resort town that stretches about 25 miles along Egypt’s Red Sea coast, is particularly known for diving. The attacks come as the resort was beginning to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Egypt’s environment ministry said in a statement that a committee had been set up to look into the circumstances of the attacks and any scientific reasons behind them.
