Russian tourist killed in shark attack in Egypt

Cairo, June 9

A Russian tourist was killed in a shark attack in the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Hurghada.

The Consulate General of Russia in Hurghada confirmed the death of the 24-year-old man as "a result of a shark attack" on Thursday, reports Xinhua news agency

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.

A video circulated on social media showed the man being torn apart into two parts by a huge shark.

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.

He called on holidaymakers to stick to the instructions and regulations in the region when dealing with natural resources of the Red Sea to save their life.

The lifeguards of the hotel where the victim was staying, found one part of his body, a source told Xinhua.

Another two tourists were also wounded in the shark attack, the source 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.