Tourist killed in Red Sea shark attack near Marsa Alam area

A shark attack on Egypt’s Red Sea beach has left one tourist dead and another injured, authorities said.

In a statement, the ministry of environment in North Africa said that what happened on Sunday happened in the north of Marsa Alam, a town in the east of Egypt where many people swim.

It said the attack took place “in deep water outside the swimming pool”.

Although the ministry said the victims were foreigners, the AFP news agency said they were Italian citizens, citing an unnamed source at Italy’s Foreign Ministry.

The 48-year-old man who died was a resident of Rome, while the victim was 69, according to AFP.

Egyptian officials said the two tourists were taken to a hospital in Port Ghalib, about 30 miles north of Marsa Alam.

The swimming pool in Marsa Alam will be closed and the incident is being investigated, officials said.

In the past 10 years, there have been four deaths from shark attacks, according to the independent Shark Research Institute.

The last one happened in June 2023 near Hurguda and involved a 24-year-old Russian man.