Egypt, a popular tourist location for Europeans searching for some winter sun, has come into disrepute this week after a oceanic white tip shark has attacked four tourists in the waters surrounding Sharm El Sheik. Egyptian authorities have taken drastic action to prevent the animal from attacking any other people after one holiday maker was badly mauled, and a shark hunt has been launched.
The four Russian tourists are all seriously injured, with two of them having limbs bitten off. Sharks are not common around Egypt, so it has created quite a scare with the locals.
The authorities are hoping to capture it alive to release back into the wild in the Gulf of Suez. A dicing instructor recalled how he had a close encounter with the shark but managed to scare if off by blowing bubbles at it, and he saw it attack one of the couples who were on the same dive. The woman had to be resuscitated after being rescued from the water. All four victims were flown straight to Cairo for urgent medical assistance.
A warning has been issued for tourists to stay out of the water until the shark has been caught, which will be a disappointment to British holiday makers who flock to Egypt in the winter as it is a world famous scuba diving destination. Egypt sees two fatal shark attacks per year, but injuries relating to shark attacks are on the increase as the number of divers and swimmer sin the red sea rises.
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