Russian citizen mauled to death by tiger shark off Egypt's Red Sea coast in rare attack

[scubaozy]

Russian citizen mauled to death by tiger shark off Egypt's Red Sea coast in rare attack
CAIRO — A Russian man died after being mauled by a shark on Thursday off one of Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, Egyptian and Russian authorities said.
Egypt’s Environment Ministry said the man was killed after being attacked by a tiger shark in the waters near the city of Hurghada. Authorities closed off a 74-kilometer (46-mile) stretch of the coastline, announcing it will remain off-limits until Sunday.

The ministry later said it had caught the shark and was examining it in a laboratory to try and determine the reasons for the rare attack.
The Russian Consulate in Hurghada identified the man as a Russian citizen but did not give his name.
A video circulating online, purportedly of the attack, shows a man thrashing about in the water before being repeatedly attacked by a shark circling around him, then being dragged under.

Shark attacks are rare in the Red Sea coastal regions. However, in 2022, two fatal attacks in Hughada within days, killing an Austrianand a Romanian tourist.
Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, including Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, boast some of the country’s most renowned beach destinations and are popular with European tourists. Divers are attracted by the steep drop-offs of coral reefs just offshore, which offer a rich and colorful sea life.
Egypt has in recent years sought to revive the vital tourism sector, hurt by years of political instability, the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Tiger sharks are large species that reside in tropical and temperate waters and are among sharks most cited by the International Shark Attack File for unprovoked attacks on humans.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/06/08/shark-attack-egypt-red-sea-tourist/6b27408c-0623-11ee-b74a-5bdd335d4fa2_story.html

 

[BlueTrin]

The video of the incident is quite disturbing

 

[scubaozy]

I chose not to watch..
Afaik, Eid is in few weeks, there was another shark attack last year, again around the same time as Eid. Now the question is whether dead animal carcasses were thrown overboard by freighters supplying livestock recently in the vicinity.

 

[drrich2]

The ministry later said it had caught the shark and was examining it in a laboratory to try and determine the reasons for the rare attack.

When a claim is made that authorities have taken 'the' specific individual animal that killed someone, whether a shark or crocodile, I wish they'd explain why we should be convinced the one they caught is the one that killed.

 

[DandyDon]

I doubt that the shark examination will show anything. Tiger sharks occasionally take people. I suspect a tourism ploy.

The Washington Post had a paywall that is blocked on 12 foot ladder, but several other sites have the story. Here is Reuter's: Russian citizen killed in shark attack in Egypt

 

[rx7diver]

The deceased had been swimming, not scuba diving.

rx7diver

 

[BlueTrin]

The deceased had been swimming, not scuba diving.

rx7diver

I guess OP thought it was interesting enough to post it here, though I understand your point too

 

[Dan]

The video of the incident is quite disturbing

Please share the link to it. Thanks!

 

[Vicko]

Is it really rare if it happens multiple times a year in the same area?
The sharks are protected and there is more of them than ever, meanwhile their natural food source is overfished.

 

[rx7diver]

I guess OP thought it was interesting enough to post it here, though I understand your point too

I suspect that a scuba diver, with his/her noisy exhaust bubbles, has a different appeal to a shark than does someone swimming, splashing noisily on the surface.

rx7diver