(dpa) Not far from the Egyptian seaside resort of Hurghada, an Austrian woman died after a shark attack. The shark approached the 68-year-old woman while she was swimming, the Al-Arabija news channel reported on Saturday, citing Egyptian authorities. She suffered shock and died in hospital. The Russian agency Ria Novosti reported that the woman lost an arm and a leg in the attack.
The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vienna confirmed the death of an Austrian. According to media reports, the woman is said to have been married to an Egyptian and lived in Hurghada on the Red Sea. Tourists watched the tragic scenes before her death from the beach and from a jetty. A video of the incident shows the woman trying to get to safety in red-colored water. Meanwhile, men from the jetty try to pull her out of the water with a rope. The beach was closed for three days.
The Red Sea is a popular destination for divers, among others. Shark attacks are actually very rare there. However, deadly attacks have occasionally occurred here as well. In 2018, a tourist from the Czech Republic died after a shark attack, as did a German in 2015 and a German pensioner in 2010.