Egypt closes part of Red Sea coast after fatal shark attack
Egypt's Red Sea Governorate issued an order to shut down several Red Sea beaches on Friday after a 68-year-old Austrian woman was killed in a shark attack earlier that day, off the coast of Sahl Hasheesh, near Hurghada, Reuters report.
The Associated Press reported that the governor of the Red Sea province closed the area for three days. All "sea activities" have been banned, including diving, snorkelling, wind surfing, kite sailing and fishing boats.
According to reports, an 68-year-old woman from Austria was swimming in the Red Sea near the resort of Sahl Hasheesh when she was attacked by a shark.
Video posted online indicated that the woman was attacked by a Mako shark while she was close to the shore. In the footage, shot from a nearby pier, the water around her turned red with blood. The woman lost an arm and leg but managed to make it back to shore.
The victim was transferred to a local private hospital right after the attack, a source at the Red Sea Health Affairs Directorate told Reuters. He added that there were attempts to resuscitate her, but she died due to circulatory failure, which is a sudden drop in blood pressure resulting from her injuries and blood loss.
Fact file
Sahl Hasheesh is a bay located on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, near Hurghada, approximately 18 km south of Hurghada International Airport.
The Sahl Hasheesh Bay is home to a number of islands and coral reefs with diving and snorkeling. The nearby Abou Hasheesh Island is a local protectorate containing a thriving community of marine life.
