Egyptian authorities have closed a stretch of the country’s Red Sea coast, a day after an attack by a shark killed an Austrian woman swimming near the Hurghada complex.
The 68-year-old woman, who lost a leg and an arm in the shark attack, died shortly after being taken to the Nile’s private hospital in Hurghada, an Egyptian health official said.
She was barely alive when she was taken away Friday, the official said, adding that attempts by medical staff to resuscitate her failed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to reporters.
According to an internal document from the office of the governor of the Red Sea province, shared with The Associated Press, the authorities had to close the area for three days, banning all “sea activities” such as diving, snorkeling, windsurfing and star. sailing. Fishing boats were also banned in Hurghada waters. The governor ordered the closure.
A video circulating online was intended to show the attack on the woman by a Mako shark relatively close to the shore, seen from a nearby pier.
In the video, the water around the woman turns red due to the blood as spectators at the pier throw a floating device at her. It was still unclear how he was able to reach the coast.
Shark attacks have been relatively rare in the Red Sea coastal region of Egypt in recent years.
In 2020, a Ukrainian boy lost an arm and an Egyptian tour guide a leg in a shark attack.
In 2010, a series of shark attacks killed a European tourist and mutilated several others in Sharm el-Sheikh, on the Sinai Peninsula, on the other side of the Red Sea from Hurghada.
Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, such as Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, are some of the country’s top beach destinations and are popular with European tourists.
Divers are drawn to the steep slopes of the coral reefs near the coast that offer a rich and colorful marine life.
Authorities have tried in recent years to revive the vital tourism sector, which has been battered by years of instability and, more recently, by the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.