Sharks uncontrolled in the Red Sea: they attack tourists off the coast of Egypt and the authorities do not know how to stop them

In the Red Seaespecially in Egypt, sharks play a tragic role after confirmation that two women, one Austrian and one Romanian, died this week after being attacked by a shark according to information from the Egyptian Ministry of the Environment and Foreign Ministries of Austria and Romania.

“Two women were attacked by a shark while they were swimming in the Sahel Hashish region, south of Hurghada.“, indicated the Egyptian Ministry of the Environment, specifying that an investigation has been opened to the AFP news agency

According to the Austrian news agency APA, one of the two victims was 68 years old and originally from the Tyrol region (western Austria), and was on vacation in Egypt.

The Red Sea and the danger of sharks

The governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafi, on Friday ordered the closure of all beaches in the area for three days after “an Austrian tourist was torn off an arm. probably in a shark attack. “

The Red Sea is a very popular tourist destination, where sharks are usually present, although they rarely attack swimmers who swim within the authorized spaces.

“A joint committee of specialists from the Red Sea Protectorates and the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) is investigating the deaths of two swimmers.Egypt’s Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad said Sunday.

Fouad ordered the committee to identify the reasons and circumstances of the event and to gather reliable information for analysis on the basis global research protocols from sharks to humans.

According to a statement from the ministry, Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafy halted all activities at the scene of the accident without mentioning the weather. Meanwhile, the AP agency indicated in its report that on Saturday the governor decided to close the beaches from Sahl Hasheesh to Makadi Bay for three days.including the cessation of the activities of fishing vessels in Hurghada.

Shark attacks in Egypt

Shark attacks have been relatively rare in Egypt’s coastal Red Sea region in recent years.

In 2020, a young Ukrainian lost his arm and an Egyptian tour guide lost his leg in a shark attack.

In 2018, a Czech tourist was killed by a shark on a Red Sea beach. A similar attack killed a German tourist in 2015.

In 2010, several shark attacks killed a European tourist and mutilated many more off the coast of Sharm El-Sheikh in the Sinai Peninsula, across the Red Sea from Hurghada.

This latest attack comes as the Egyptian tourism sector struggles to recover from the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war.as the country relies heavily on tourists from both countries.

During the second half of 2021, the Egyptian tourism sector gained momentum with the return of Russian tourists to the Sinai in August and high-profile events such as the dazzling Golden Parade of the Pharaohs in Cairo in April, as well as the opening of the Avenue of the Sphinxes in Luxor at the end of November.

In April, the UK’s Daily Mail news website selected Egypt as one of the best tourist destinations for spring and summer 2022, ranking second on the list of best vacation destinations.

In the same month, Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guide platform, named Cairo as the second hottest destination in the world and the ninth best destination for city lovers in 2022.

With information from agencies