Egypt shark attack: Ten foot fish beaten to death after killing tourist
A tiger shark has been beaten to death after a tourist was killed at a popular beach destination in Egypt.
Vladimir Popov, 23, was spending the day by the Red Sea in Hurghada when he was mauled to death by the 10ft animal.
His father Yury watched on helplessly as the shark circled around Russian Mr Popov who screamed out “papa, papa” and was dragged under the water.
The shark was lifted out of the sea and taken to the beach where it was beaten to death
(ShuttleTV)
“We went to the beach to relax. My son was attacked by a shark. It all happened in seconds,” he told local media.
“What kind of help can you give? This meat grinder happened in 20 seconds, he was just dragged under the water.”
Witnesses said the shark toyed with Mr Popov’s body in the water for two hours, according to reports.
The beast was then lifted out of the sea in a net and taken to the beach on a small boat where it was bludgeoned to death.
Video footage shows people hitting the fish over the head with what appeared to be a metal pole or a stick.
It appeared to be alive as it thrashed on the sand with a hook in its eye.
Authorities closed off a 46-mile stretch of the coastline, announcing it will remain off limits until Sunday.
Witnesses said the shark toyed with Mr Popov’s body in the water for two hours, according to reports.
(Grigory Kataev via REUTERS)
Yury added: “This is an absolutely ridiculous coincidence, because it is a safe beach. There are ships and yachts around.
“It’s never happened there. They usually attack on wild beaches. It’s just some kind of evil fate.”
The ministry later said it had caught the shark and was examining it in a laboratory to try to determine the reasons for the rare attack.
Shark attacks are rare in the Red Sea coastal regions.
However, in 2022 there were two fatal attacks in Hurghada within days, killing an Austrian and a Romanian tourist.
Shark attacks are rare at the popular beach resort, pictured, and in the wider Red Sea coastal regions
(Reuters)
Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, including Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh, boast some of the country’s most renowned beach destinations and are popular with European tourists.
Divers are attracted by the steep drop-offs of coral reefs just offshore, which offer a rich and colourful sea life.
Egypt has in recent years sought to revive the vital tourism sector, which has been hurt by years of political instability, the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Tiger sharks are large species that reside in tropical and temperate waters and are among sharks most cited by the International Shark Attack File for unprovoked attacks on humans.
