A tourist has been mauled to death by a shark in the Egyptian seaside resort of Marsa Alam on the Red Sea. Another survived the attack. It is rare for sharks to attack humans.
The Egyptian authorities are extremely sparse with information about the attack. The nationality of the victims was not disclosed. Only that the accident occurred deeper in the sea, outside the designated swimming area. An emergency committee has also been set up to investigate the incident.
Authorities closed the area and imposed a swimming ban for two days. Sharks rarely attack people in the Red Sea, a major tourist destination, according to Egypt’s Environment Ministry.
Shy
It is no secret that there are many sharks swimming in the Red Sea. It is even one of the tourist attractions. Every year, divers flock to the various seaside resorts around the Red Sea with the specific aim of spotting sharks underwater. The species are numerous, from hammerhead sharks to thresher sharks to gray reef sharks and silvertip sharks.
Sharks are usually quite shy, but sometimes such incidents do happen. Also last year, a tourist died after being attacked by a shark. A 70-year-old German woman died after being bitten by an oceanic whitetip shark in Sharm El Sheikh. That species is rather rare in the Red Sea. Together with the white shark, tiger shark and bull shark, it is listed as one of the most dangerous shark species for humans. The otherwise 360 shark species pose no danger to humans.
Great Barrier Reef
Last year there were more shark attacks in the Red Sea. In total, at least four tourists were injured. Egyptian authorities then banned swimming and diving in certain areas for a while. The water was reopened after they caught the sharks in question. Also in 2023, a shark bit and killed a Russian tourist in Hurghada.
A similar incident happened on the other side of the world on Saturday. A shark attacked a man on Saturday in the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world that extends off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The man was fishing with family members when he was bitten. He also did not survive the attack.