A shark kills a tourist and injures another in an attack off the Red Sea coast in Egypt

Egyptian authorities said on Sunday that a shark attack off the Red Sea coast of Egypt killed a tourist and injured another, and a source in the Italian Foreign Ministry identified them as two Italian citizens.

The Egyptian Ministry of Environment said in a statement, “A shark attacked two foreigners in the area north of Marsa Alam, which led to the injury of one of them and the death of the other.”

A source in the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told AFP that the dead man was 48 years old and resides in Rome. The injured person is 69 years old.

The Egyptian Ministry said they were taken to a hospital in Port Ghalib, about 30 miles north of Marsa Alam.

The authorities closed the area to swimmers for two days after the accident, which the ministry said occurred in “deep water outside the designated swimming area.”

The Red Sea is a major tourist destination, making its marine life a favorite among divers.

It is also a major employer and source of foreign currency for Egypt, a country of 107 million people that is trying to emerge from its worst economic crisis ever.

Last month, at least four people died when a large wave hit the area Dive boat capsized More than 30 tourists of different nationalities are carrying off Marsa Alam.

Deadly shark attacks are a near-annual event in Egypt’s Red Sea, where marine experts warn that unregulated construction, overfishing and irresponsible tourism practices are contributing to changing ecosystem and shark behavior.

In June 2023, A.J Kill shark attack A Russian man off the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.

In 2022, there were two women, one Austrian and one Romanian Killed in shark attacks During one week off the coast of the Red Sea in Egypt.

In 2020, a young man A Ukrainian boy lost his arm and an Egyptian tour guide lost his leg There was a shark attack in the same area.

In 2018, a Czech tourist was killed by a shark off the Red Sea. A similar attack killed a German tourist in 2015.

Number of fatal shark attacks Doubled worldwide in 2023, with a disproportionate number in Australia, according to the International Shark Attack File – a database of global shark attacks managed by the University of Florida.