CAIRO AND LONDON — Over the weekend, two women were attacked by sharks in Egypt’s Red Sea. Officials closed off a section of the coast.
In a statement, the Egyptian Ministry of Environment stated that two women were attacked by sharks while swimming in Red Sea near Hurghada. According to the ministry, Maj. Gen. Amr Hanafi is the governor of the Red Sea Governorate. He has ordered that all water activities near the area of the deadly attacks be suspended.
According to the ministry, a committee made up of experts was formed to examine the circumstances and scientific explanations behind the attacks. According to the ministry, the group is still working to determine the exact cause of the attack by the shark on the victims.
It is not clear if the shark involved in both attacks was the same.
The ministry said that the Ministry of Environment regretted the accident and extended its deepest condolences and gratitude to all parties involved for their support.
The identities of these two women were not released by the ministry. However, The Associated Press reported one was a 68 year-old woman from Austria and the other was a Romanian tourist.
ABC News was informed by a spokesperson from the Austrian Foreign Ministry that a Tyrol citizen had died in Egypt. According to the spokesperson, the Austrian Embassy in Cairo is in touch with the victims’ relatives and Egyptian authorities. However, they declined to provide any further information because of “data protection and confidentiality.”
ABC News also reached out the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get their comments.
Recent shark attacks on Egypt’s Red Sea coast region have been rare. A 12-year-old boy from Ukraine lost his arm in a shark attack, while an Egyptian tour guide was also injured by the shark attack, which occurred off Sharm El-Sheikh’s coast.
