CAIRO and LONDON — Two women were killed in shark attacks in Egypt’s Red Sea over the weekend, prompting authorities to close a stretch of coastline.
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 town of Hurghada. The governor of the wider Red Sea province, Major General Amr Hanafi, has ordered a halt to all water activities in the vicinity of the deadly attacks, according to the ministry.
The ministry said a commission of specialists had been formed to investigate the circumstances of the incidents and any scientific reasons for them. The group is “still completing its work to determine exactly the reasons for the behavior of the shark that attacked the two victims,” according to the ministry.
It is unclear whether the same shark was involved in both attacks.
“The Ministry of Environment regrets the incident and extends its deepest condolences to the families of the two victims and expresses its sincere gratitude and appreciation to all stakeholders 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 that an Austrian citizen from the western province of Tyrol has died in Egypt. The Austrian embassy in Cairo is in contact with the victim’s relatives as well as Egyptian authorities, according to the spokesman, who would not provide further information due to “data protection and privacy concerns”.
ABC News has also reached out to Romania’s foreign ministry for comment.
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 his arm and an Egyptian tour guide lost his leg in a shark attack while snorkeling off the coast of Sharm el-Sheikh, another Red Sea resort town.
Add Comment