New shark attack prompts Egypt to shutdown Dahab's beaches along Red Sea

The Egyptian government shut down on Wednesday, 13 September, the beaches of Dahab, a resort town along the Red Sea, shortly after a woman had been severely injured in a shark attack earlier that day.

The Egyptian woman's condition is currently stable after she has received the required medical attention, as news reports said she had her left arm amputated due to the shark bite.

It remains unclear what triggered the attack; meanwhile, Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad ordered an investigation into the incident, according to an official statement.

While the statement did not clarify the exact location of the attack, social media users posted footage allegedly showing the victim swimming with others on Laguna Beach in Dahab and reaching out to the shark, mistaking it for a tuna fish.

Red Sea resorts represent a vital part of Egyptian tourism, an industry employing about two million people and accounting for almost 15 per cent of the North African country's GDP.

Shark attacks in Egypt are on the rise, with experts believing it could result from overfishing and the irresponsible expansion of resorts along the Red Sea coast, where shark diving is a hugely profitable endeavour. 

In June this year, a Russian national in his 20s had been killed in a similar incident.

Earlier last year, two women were killed in a similar attack south of Hurghada.

In 2020, a shark attacked a 12-year-old Ukrainian boy, who lost an arm, and an Egyptian tour guide in Sharm El Sheikh lost his leg.