
File photo: Marsa Alam's Qulaan island (Photo: Rowan El Shimi)
Egypt's Ministry of Environment is trying to locate a shark that killed a Czech tourist off the coast of Marsa Alam resort city, a local official has said.
A 41-year-old Czech man was found dead on Friday after being attacked by a shark, The City Board Chairman Atef Wagdy told Ahram Online.
"A delegation from the environment ministry and another delegation from the natural reserve of the Red Sea are currently investigating the incident and trying to locate the shark in the Red Sea,” he said.
The Czech man was reportedly holidaying with his family at the resort town, which is located around 700km south-east of Cairo.
Wagdy said that the beach has not been evacuated and that beach guards are closely monitoring the sea.
However, the marina, which extends beyond the beach and into the sea's coral reefs, has been closed off.
According to Wagdy, the shark is believed to have attacked the tourist in the sea past the coral reefs.
A similar incident took place in Marsa Alam last year, when a 20-year-old Austrian tourist was bitten by a shark. The woman was flown home to receive treatment for a leg injury.
Thirty-four shark attacks took place in Egypt's seas between 1827 and 2016, according to the Shark Research Institute, a US-based research organisation.
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