Two women were killed in shark attacks near Hurghada on Sunday, July 3, according to the Egyptian Ministry of the Environment. This famous Red Sea resort is closed as a result of the incident that occurred Friday.
The ministry stated on its Facebook page that two women were attacked by sharks while swimming in the Sahel Hachich area, south of Hurghada. It also said that an investigation was underway to determine the circumstances. This incident. Amr Hanafi, governor of the Red Sea region, issued a directive on Friday saying that all activity was prohibited on the beaches south Hurghada in southeastern Egypt for three days.
Although the ministry doesn't specify the nationality, the decree mentions that a governor had "an Austrian tourist whose left arm was torn off by a shark".
If they are not exceeding the permitted limits, sharks in the Red Sea rarely attack swimmers.
A shark attacked a beach in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt in 2018, causing the death of a Czech tourist and four other injuries to tourists.
Egypt is caught between inflation, devaluation and dependence on the Red Sea. The Red Sea welcomes 65% of tourists to the country.
Egyptian tourism is currently trying to rebound from the ten-years of political turmoil that followed the 2011 "revolution" which toppled Hosni Mubarak, an autocrat, and the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.
