New Delhi: A Russian man died after being mauled and dragged under water by a shark while swimming off the coast of the Red Sea resort of Hurghada in Egypt on Thursday, the New York Post reported. As per the report, the beach was filled by people, including the victim's father, when the incident took place. According to Egypt’s environment ministry, the man was attacked by a tiger shark and in wake of the incident, the 74km coastline would remain off limits till Sunday.
The video of the incident, that has gone viral on the social media, shows the man struggling and trying his best to swim away from the shark, which finally drags him under water.
A lifeguard raised an alarm after which some people rushed to help the man, but were not able to reach in time.
According to a report by The Guardian, the officials of Egypt's environment ministry later caught the shark and are examining it to determine the reasons for the rare attack.
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The Russian consulate in Hurghada identified the deceased as a Russian citizen but did not give his name. According to the report, the man was not a tourist.
In a statement posted on its official channel on the Telegram messaging application, the consulate urged Russian tourists to be vigilant when in the water and to strictly adhere to any swimming bans imposed by local authorities, The Guardian reported.
It is to be noted that shark attacks are rare in the Red Sea coastal regions. Earlier in 2022, two women – one Austrian and one Romanian – were killed within days of each other in shark attacks at Hurghada.
Notably, tiger sharks are large species that reside in tropical and temperate waters. According to the International Shark Attack File, tiger sharks are among most cited for their unprovoked attacks on humans.