A GERMAN tourist died after being mauled by a shark off the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday – the latest in a series of shark attacks in the Red Sea over the past five days.
The Egyptian Chamber of Diving and Watersports confirmed the fatality. Its chairman, Hesham Gabr, said: “We are busy dealing with the crisis. I can confirm that a German woman was injured and she passed away.”
Security officials quoted by the Associated Press, said the women’s arm was severed in the attack and she died within minutes. The latest shark attack will be a huge blow to the resorts and diving centres that line the Red Sea beaches, coming after incidents last week in which three Russians and a Ukrainian were badly injured.
The Egyptian authorities had said they were confident that the capture and killing of two sharks last Thursday had eliminated the threat to swimmers, snorkellers and divers. A 48-hour ban on entering the water was due to be lifted yesterday.
About three million tourists visit Sharm el-Sheikh each year, and the winter months are peak season. The Red Sea, with its abundance of exotic fish and spectacular corals, is a magnet for divers and snorkellers from all over the world. Last week’s victims were thought to have been attacked by an oceanic white tip shark, which rarely swims close to the shore. Experts blamed tourists for throwing food into the water to lure fish in order to get a better close-up view of them.
"It is clear from our initial discussions with shark behavioural experts that this highly unusual spate of attacks by an oceanic white tip shark was triggered by an activity, most probably illegal fishing or feeding in the area," Mr Gabr said on Friday. – ( Guardianservice)