Just how dangerous is your Egyptian getaway? Map shows where sharks have savaged swimmers in the Red Sea after tourist was killed – and popular resorts Sharm-El-Sheikh and Hurghada are hotspots for attacks
- Sixteen shark attacks in the Red Sea since 1970s, according to Florida Museum
- Three fatal attacks in the last year have been by tiger sharks, figures show
Over twenty miles of picturesque beaches and luxury hotels make the Egyptian coast an attractive and relaxing holiday destination for tourists from all over the world.
But holidaymakers in one Red Sea coastal resort in Hurghada, Egypt, were violently disturbed this week by the blood-curdling screams of a 23-year-old shouting ‘Papa! Help me!’.
Russian tourist Vladimir Popov, 23, was circled and viciously dragged under the water and killed by a tiger shark as his horrified father watched the water turn red with blood.
But how dangerous is a holiday to the Egyptian coast, and how many people have been attacked by sharks in the Red Sea?
The map below by MailOnline shows the Red Sea’s shark attack hotspots over the past 50 years.
Russian tourist Vladimir Popov, 23, was circled and viciously dragged under the water and killed by a tiger shark
Florida Museum data shows sixteen non-fatal and fatal shark attacks have been recorded in the Red Sea since 1975.
There have been seven fatal attacks since 2004, and eight non-fatal attacks along the coast since 1974, according to the data.
The majority of attacks were by oceanic whitetip sharks, which can grow up to 11 feet long and live for 25 years.
But in the last year, the tiger shark has attacked three people including Mr Popov, a 40-year-old Romanian woman and a 68-year-old German woman.
Elisabeth Sauer, 68, was mauled to death by a tiger shark in July 2022 while swimming in the sea near Hurghada, Egypt.
And a 40-year-old Romanian woman was also killed by a tiger shark just 650ft away from Mrs Sauer on the same day – with her badly disfigured remains found on a neraby reef.
Elisabeth Sauer, 68, was mauled to death by a tiger shark in July 2022 while swimming in the sea off the coast of Hurghada, Egypt
How rare are shark attacks in the Red Sea?
In June 2021, a 37-year-old Jordanian man was bit in the leg by a shark and survived.
In December 2020, a German woman, 42, was savaged by a shark while diving in near Marsa Alam.
In October 2020 a 12-year-old Ukrainian boy on holiday in Egypt and his tour guide lost limbs after an attack by an oceanic whitetip shark.
In August 2018, a 41-year-old Czech tourist died after being attacked 12 miles north of the town of Marsa Alam.
In 2010, five shark attacks took place at Sharm el Sheikh in the same number of days.
Mrs Sauer lost an arm and a leg in the attack that was caught on film, as onlookers tried to distract the shark and get her to safety.
She reached the shore with the help of a flipper, but died a short time later.
In this week’s attack, video shows the man desperately shouting ‘Papa, Papa’ as the predator hunted him in the water, circling him before launching the attack.
The man can be seen desperately trying to swim towards the shore, but appears to be attacked by the shark while still in deeper waters.
His body is seen spinning in the water, and his legs raise above the surface – as horrified onlookers scream and shout for the man to swim.
‘Swim away, swim away! Quick! A shark!’ people can be heard shouting.
The splashing in the water stops, and the man’s head returns to the surface. He appears in the video to be moving around in the water again, but only slowly.
He can be heard screaming ‘Papa’, pleading for help, as some of the water turns red.
As he does so, the shark’s body is seen clearly at the surface this time. The long black shape circles around the man, and its fin and tail are seen near the surface.
What is an Oceanic whitetip shark?
Oceanic whitetip sharks, are large stocky sharks with a huge, rounded first dorsal fins and long, wide-tipped pectoral fins.
They grow up to 4m in total length with a maximum weight of 168 kg and usually live an age of 22 years.
And are also on the critically endangered list according to Fraser University.
Source: Marine Bio
The woman filming the horrific attack can he heard repeating ‘oh my god’ as it unfolds.
As she does so, the shark turns around for another attack and swims at the man again, clamping its jaws around him, pulling him under the water.
The man’s head appears above the water one last time, and the shark’s body is seen writhing in the ocean as it appears to eat the man’s body and drag it further down.
One witness said: ‘The shark’s eating his remains now. There she is, eating his remains.’
Another said: ‘Right in front of my eyes, the shark ate the guy, the girl managed to escape. He took the blow from the shark. It’s a terrible thing, the remains of this man are lying there.’
The victim’s father Yury Popov told the 112 media outlet: ‘We went to the beach to relax. ‘My son was attacked by a shark, it all happened in seconds.
‘What kind of help can you give? This meat grinder happened in 20 seconds, he was just dragged under the water.
‘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 victim Vladimir Popov (pictured) had moved to the resort with his father several months before the attack
Vladimir had been living with his father in Egypt for several months before the horrific attack. Mr Popov said he would cremate his son and return his ashes to their native Russia.
Video shows the tiger shark being caught and dragged ashore by a boat following the attack, and it appeared to be alive before being clubbed to death.
The Egyptian authorities confirmed the shark has been handed over for research to find out the causes of its behaviour and identify whether the animal is related to one that ’caused several previous accidents’.
The shark was later caught and clubbed to death on the beach (pictured)
Source: Read Full Article
