Two women have been killed in shark attacks in Egypt’s Red Sea, south of the city of Hurghada, the Egyptian environment ministry has said.
Two sources told Reuters that the body of a Romanian tourist in her late forties was discovered hours after an attack that left a 68-year-old Austrian woman dead. Both attacks happened within 600 metres of each other, off the coast of Sahl Hasheesh, according to the sources.
The ministry said in its statement on Sunday that a committee had been formed to examine the circumstances of the attacks and any scientific reasons behind them.
It also mentioned that the governor of the Red Sea Governorate, Maj Gen Amr Hanafi, has issued an order to suspend all activity in the area surrounding the attacks with several beaches being closed.
The first victim was transferred to a local private hospital, a source at the Red Sea Health Affairs Directorate told Reuters. He added that there were attempts to resuscitate her, but she died from her injuries.
A security source also added that the Austrian woman had been living in Egypt over the past five years with her Egyptian husband.
