In Egypt, a beachgoer was killed by a tiger shark. Local authorities blame livestock dealers. Investigations are ongoing.
Hurghada – Off the coast of Egypt, in the popular seaside resort of Hurghada, a man was attacked by a shark on Thursday (8 June). "The attack of a tiger shark on a beachgoer led to his death," wrote the Egyptian Ministry of Environment on Thursday in the online service Facebook. The ministry did not initially give any further details. How did the incident happen, on a beach where shark attacks are usually rare?
Shark attack in Egypt: beachgoer dies after attack – eyewitnesses still tried to help
According to local media, the man was attacked by a tiger shark on Thursday. In the water, he screamed for help. A boat tried to save him, but it arrived too late at the scene of the accident. Other people also rushed to the man's aid, reports Der Spiegel in reference to a diver on site. They also couldn't reach him in time.
According to local media and Russian Consul General Viktor Voropayev, the victim is a Russian citizen born in 1999. He lived permanently in Egypt and was not a tourist. Why the shark attacked the swimmer has yet to be clarified. After the attack, the tiger shark managed to capture. The Ministry of Environment stated that the shark exhibited "conspicuous" behavior.
The fin of a shark emerges from the water. Off the coast of Egypt, a swimmer was attacked by a tiger shark (symbolic image). © Cranes Photo/Imago
Isolated attacks off the coast of Egypt: Authorities blame cattle dealers
Local authorities, however, reported that the shark was attracted by debris in the water. The remains of dead animals were thrown into the sea by cattle dealers. Sharks eat the carcasses, some of which wash up on the coasts. Sometimes they mistake the remains for swimming people and attack. The exact cause in the case of the Russian victim has yet to be clarified. The beach was closed for two days.
Although there are many sharks in the Red Sea, shark attacks are relatively rare in the areas permitted for bathers. Occasionally, however, attacks do occur. Last July, an Austrian woman and a Romanian woman were killed in a shark attack off the coast of Hurghada. In 2018, a Czech tourist was killed in a shark attack, and in 2015 a German. Shark and shark attacks also occur off the coasts of Spain, Australia or the USA – with varying frequency. But a three-meter-long shark also appeared off Italy this year off the seaside resort of Lignano. (chd/dpa/AFP)