In a tragic incident that took place on Thursday, a Russian tourist was killed in a shark attack in the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Hurghada. The man, reportedly identified as Vladimir Popov, was killed by a tiger shark in the waters when he was out on a swim. His distraught girlfriend managed to escape while his helpless father saw the horror in front of him.
The Consulate General of Russia in Hurghada confirmed the death of the 23-year-old man as a result of a shark attack yesterday, reported Xinhua news agency. A video circulated on social media showed the man being torn apart into parts by a huge shark.
Disturbing visuals below. Viewers discretion advised.
Watersports In The Area Stopped Following The Incident
Shortly after the horrifying incident took place, the Consulate posted a warning on its Facebook page to Russian nationals currently in Hurghada to remain vigilant when they are in the sea and to strictly follow the Egyptian authorities' instructions in terms of swimming and diving ban.
In response to the attack, the Egyptian Ministry of Environment has stopped swimming, snorkeling and other water sports in the Red Sea between Al-Gouna resort and Soma Bay for two days starting from Friday to conduct investigations and surveys.
Shark Involved In The Attack Was Caught
An Egyptian team has identified a type of tiger shark as being behind the attack, Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad said, confirming that the shark was caught and sent to the Ministry's labs for examination.
The lifeguards of the hotel where the victim was staying, found one part of his body, as per a report in Xinhua. Another two tourists, including the girlfriend of the deceased, were also wounded in the shark attack, the report added.
Shark attacks are relatively rare at the Red Sea resorts in Egypt, but authorities last year had closed off a stretch of the country's Red Sea coastline after two tourists were killed. Egypt's Red Sea resorts, especially Hurghada, are popular destinations for Russian tourists.
(with inputs from IANS)
