Tourist, 12, and guide lose limbs in shark attack in Egypt

Two-metre long Oceanic Whitetip struck after being seen acting aggressively 

Colin Drury
Wednesday 28 October 2020 21:14 EDT
Comments
Tourist, 12, and guide lose limbs in shark attack in Egypt

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A 12-year-old boy has lost his arm and a tour guide his leg after a devastating shark attack at the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The youngster, from the Ukraine, was snorkelling with his mother and the local guide when the two-metre long predator struck.

Authorities have now suspended all activities at the Ras Mohammed Nature Reserve where the incident took place, Egypt’s Environment Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Video footage captured at the location before the attack on Saturday showed the shark — believed to be an Oceanic Whitetip — acting aggressively, it said.

No further details were released by authorities in the African country but a statement put out by Ukraine's State Agency for the Development of Tourism said the child was in intensive care, and that surgery had failed to save his arm.

An Egyptian health official, speaking anonymously, said that the family's guide had lost a leg, and the mother suffered light injuries.

Shark attacks are generally rare in the region but a German tourist was killed there in 2010 during a spate of five incidents in just a few days.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in