Two women have been killed by shark attacks in Egypt’s Red Sea while swimming on the south side of the Hurghada town this weekend.
The corpse of a Romanian tourist in her late forties was discovered hours after an earlier attack, that killed a 68-year-old Austrian tourist.
According to Egyptian authorities, both attacks happened within 600 meters of each other, near the coast of Sal Hasheesh. It remains unclear whether a single shark was behind both attacks.
In a statement, Egypt’s Ministry of Environment said that a committee has been formed to run autopsies, to examine the circumstances of the attacks and possible scientific reasons behind them.
The committee “is still completing its work to find out precisely the reasons for the behavior of the shark that attacked the two victims,” according to the ministry.
The ministry added that it “regrets the accident and expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the two victims and extends its sincere thanks and appreciation to all concerned parties for their support.”
Governor of the Red Sea Governate Maj Gen Amr Hanafi issued an order to suspend all activities within the perimeter surrounding the attack, including the closure of several beaches.
A spokesperson for the Austrian Foreign Ministry confirmed to ABC News on Monday, that an Austrian citizen from the western state of Tyrol had died in Egypt, without revealing the victim’s identity.
The Austrian embassy in Cairo is in contact with the victim’s relatives as well as Egyptian authorities, according to the spokesperson, who would not provide further information due to “reasons of data protection and confidentiality.”
A spokesperson for the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed to ABC News on Monday, that a Romanian woman who was vacationing in Hurghada, had died after being attacked by a shark.
The Romanian embassy in Cairo is in contact with Egyptian authorities and is working with Romanian authorities to identify the victims’ relatives, according to the spokesperson, who said they “cannot offer any additional or specific details regarding the victim.”
Back in October 2020, both a 12-year-old Ukrainian boy and his tour guide lost limbs while vacationing in Egypt, after an attack by an oceanic whitetip shark.
That same year, in December, a German woman was savaged by a shark while diving in the Red Sea before instructors pulled her away to safety.
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