Shark attacks in Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt
Three tourists have been injured by a shark in three separate attacks at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Virtually all water sports have been suspended at the Red Sea resort following the attacks. One of the tourists is believed to be in a critical condition in hospital in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The authorities are searching for an oceanic white tip shark, which is believed to have carried out the attacks. They want to capture the shark and release it into the open sea. The Associated Press news agency quoted a local conservation official, Mohammed Salem, as saying all the victims were Russian. The suspension of diving and water sports applies to all but a small area around Sharm el-Sheikh. Attacks by oceanic white tip sharks are extremely rare and shark attacks of any kind are very unusual in the Red Sea.
Conflicting capture claims
There is confusion over whether a shark which attacked four tourists off Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh has been captured. An oceanic white tip shark injured three Russians and a Ukrainian earlier this week. Nearly all water sports have been halted at the resort. The Egyptian environment ministry said the shark was now being held at a national marine park in the area.
But diving industry officials argued a different shark was behind the attacks. One of the victims lost a foot and another an arm in the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday, reports say. One of the tourists is believed to be in a critical conditional in hospital in Cairo. Sharm el-Sheikh is one of the most popular areas in the world for diving, so a decision to suspend water sports there would not have been taken lightly.
The Egyptian environment ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the shark had been captured and was now being held at the Ras Mohamed marine park. But officials from the country’s diving industry said they had photos of the shark responsible for the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday – and it was not the same one. A search is still continuing, with boats and divers being deployed. Officials said they planned to release the shark into the open sea after capturing it. It is highly unusual for oceanic white tip sharks to attack humans, particularly this close to shore.
Only nine such attacks have ever been recorded worldwide. An expert from a shark trust in Britain suggested it might have been disturbed by illegal fishing, leading it to act in such an aggressive manner.
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