hurghada russian tourist shark attack

Russian man killed in shark attack off Egypt’s Red Sea resort

Coastline to remain off limits with a ban on swimming, snorkelling and other water sports activities until Sunday.

A Russian man has died after being attacked by a shark off the coast of Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Hurghada, officials have said.

The Environment Ministry said that the man was killed after being mauled by a tiger shark in the waters near Hurghada on Thursday.

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The authorities closed off a 74-kilometre (46-mile) stretch of the coastline, and announced that it will remain off limits with a ban on swimming, snorkelling and other water sports activities until Sunday.

“An attack by a tiger shark on a beachgoer … led to his death,” the ministry posted on Facebook, without providing further details.

A video circulating online, purportedly of the attack, shows a man thrashing about in the water before being repeatedly attacked by a shark circling around him, and then being dragged under.

The ministry later said it had caught the shark and was examining it in a laboratory to try and determine the reasons for the rare attack.

The Russian Consulate in Hurghada identified the man as a Russian citizen but did not give his name.

Russian Consul-General Viktor Voropayev told state-owned TASS news agency that the Egyptian authorities had confirmed to him the death of the Russian national who was born in 1999.

“The victim was not a tourist, but a permanent resident of Egypt,” Voropayev told the news agency.

A diver who arrived on the scene just after the attack said people had rushed to help the victim after a lifeguard from a nearby hotel raised the alarm, but were not able to reach him in time.

History of shark attacks

Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, including Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, boast some of the country’s most renowned beach destinations and are popular with European tourists. Divers are attracted by the steep drop-offs of coral reefs just offshore, which offer a rich and colorful sea life.

Shark attacks are rare in the Red Sea coastal regions.

However, in 2022, there were two fatal attacks in Hurghada within days, killing an Austrian and a Romanian tourist.

In 2018, a Czech tourist was killed by a shark off a Red Sea beach. A German tourist was similarly killed in 2015.

In 2010, a spate of five attacks in five days unusually close to the shore of tourist hot spot Sharm el-Sheikh killed one German and injured four other foreign tourists.

Russian citizen killed in shark attack in Egypt

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Fatal shark attack of Russian man near Red Sea resort purportedly caught on video

CAIRO − A Russian man died after being mauled by a shark on Thursday off one of Egypt's Red Sea resorts, Egyptian and Russian authorities said.

Egypt's Environment Ministry said the man was killed after being attacked by a tiger shark in the waters near the city of Hurghada. Authorities closed off a 46-mile stretch of the coastline, announcing it will remain off-limits until Sunday.

The ministry later said it had caught the shark and was examining it in a laboratory to try and determine the reasons for the rare attack.

The Russian Consulate in Hurghada identified the man as a Russian citizen but did not give his name.

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Purported video of attack circulates online

A video circulating online, purportedly of the attack, shows a man thrashing about in the water before being repeatedly attacked by a shark circling around him, then being dragged under.

Shark attacks are rare in the Red Sea coastal regions. However, in 2022, two fatal attacks in Hughada within days,  killing an Austrian  and  a Romanian tourist .

Red Sea resorts

Egypt’s Red Sea resorts, including Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, boast some of the country’s most renowned beach destinations and are popular with European tourists. Divers are attracted by the steep drop-offs of coral reefs just offshore, which offer a rich and colorful sea life.

Egypt has in recent years sought to revive the vital tourism sector, hurt by years of political instability, the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Tiger sharks are large species that reside in tropical and temperate waters and are among sharks most cited by the International Shark Attack File for unprovoked attacks on humans.

Russian man mauled to death by tiger shark off Egypt's Red Sea coast in rare attack

Video footage circulating online, purportedly of the attack, shows a man thrashing about in the water before being repeatedly attacked by a shark circling him.

News reporter @luciabinding

Friday 9 June 2023 15:59, UK

A young Russian man was mauled to death by a shark off one of Egypt's Red Sea resorts, according to Egyptian and Russian authorities.

The man, named as Vladimir Popov by Russian media, died after being attacked by a tiger shark in the waters near the city of Hurghada, Egypt's environment ministry said.

Footage circulating online, purportedly of the attack, shows a man thrashing about in the water before being repeatedly attacked by a shark circling him and then dragged under.

The ministry later said the shark had been caught and was being examined in a laboratory to try to determine the reasons for the rare attack.

A 46-mile (74km) stretch of the coastline was closed off by authorities, who announced it would remain off-limits until Sunday.

The man's father, Yury Popov, was forced to watch the attack helplessly from the shore as the predator circled the 23-year-old and eventually dragged him under the water.

Speaking to the 112 media outlet following his son's death, Mr Popov said: "We went to the beach to relax. My son was attacked by a shark, it all happened in seconds."

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He said no other family members were near his son at the time of the attack to help, but added: "What kind of help can you give? This meat grinder happened in 20 seconds, he was just dragged under the water."

Mr Popov described the attack as an "absolutely ridiculous coincidence" because the beach is known to be safe.

"There are ships and yachts around. It's never happened there. They usually attack on wild beaches. It's just some kind of evil fate," he said.

Other videos being shared online show the tiger shark being caught alive and dragged ashore by a boat following the attack, before being clubbed to death.

It is considered rare for shark attacks to take place in the coastal areas of the Red Sea.

However, there were two fatal incidents of shark attacks last year in Hurghada within a few days of each other, resulting in the deaths of Austrian and Romanian tourists.

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Egypt's renowned beach destinations in the Red Sea, such as Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh, are frequently visited by European tourists. These destinations are particularly popular among divers who are drawn by the vibrant sea life visible in the steep drop-offs of coral reefs located just offshore.

In recent times, Egypt has been making concerted efforts to revive its tourism industry, which has suffered due to political instability, the COVID pandemic, and the conflict in Ukraine.

Tiger sharks are a notable species found in both tropical and temperate waters. They are known for being among the sharks that often attack humans without provocation, as per the records of the International Shark Attack File.

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Shark caught after Russian killed in attack off Egypt's Red Sea coast

Authorities closes 60km of beaches for 48 hours after attack in hurghada on thursday.

The dorsal fin of the tiger shark during the attack in Hurghada, Egypt, on Thursday. Reuters

Latest: Sharks live in the Arabian Gulf – but are they a danger to humans?

The shark that killed a Russian man near the Red Sea town of Hurghada has been caught and is being examined by marine experts looking into the reason for the attack, Egypt's Environment Ministry said on Friday.

The ministry said a tiger shark was responsible for the attack on Thursday, saying it had been seen lurking near the surface in shallow waters beforehand.

Officials said the shark, whose capture and killing was criticised by some experts as unhelpful, was a female that may have been looking for a safe spot to give birth when it killed the 24-year-old Russian.

Authorities ordered all water activities to be suspended for 48 hours from Friday morning along a 60km stretch from the resort of El Gouna all the way south to Soma Bay.

A video clip shared widely online shows the shark after it was caught by fishermen, guided by local marine experts. One clip shows a man punching the shark on the deck of a boat.

The boat's owner, Ahmed Abbas, told a television interviewer that the shark was caught not far from the spot where the attack took place.

The Russian consul general in Hurghada said the victim was born in 1999 and was a resident of Egypt and not a tourist.

A disturbing video of the attack itself went viral on social media. It shows the shark circling the man before pulling him under the water. He surfaces before the shark takes him down again in a pool of blood.

A female voice is heard screaming “Oh, my God!” repeatedly in English as the attack unfolds. A man's voice is heard shouting for help.

The final segment of the clip shows a small boat arriving at the site of the attack seconds after the victim disappears under the water.

“Sharing the video of the Hurghada incident is harmful, malicious and damaging. It hurts livelihoods. Please stop,” tweeted Naguib Sawiris, the richest man in Egypt, whose family has invested heavily in high-end Red Sea resorts that attract millions of tourists every year.

Egypt's Red Sea resorts are a vital part of its tourism industry, which accounts for close to 15 per cent of GDP while employing nearly two million people.

With the country on course for its best tourism season yet, pro-government talk-show hosts sought to play down the significance of the incident.

One host, Sharif Amer, said Egypt has had only 22 shark attacks on record in more than 100 years before Thursday's incident.

Spate of attacks

Mohammed Salem, a senior Environment Ministry official, said most of these happened in the past 15 years and that the prevention of shark attacks along the Red Sea coast has been among the ministry's top priorities.

In July last year two women, an Austrian and a Romanian, were killed in separate incidents south of Hurghada. In 2020, a Ukrainian boy lost an arm and a local tour guide a leg in shark attacks. A Czech tourist was killed by a shark off a Red Sea beach in 2018, three years after a German tourist died in an attack.

In 2010, a spate of shark attacks killed one European tourist and maimed several others in Sharm El Sheikh, on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, across the Red Sea from Hurghada.

Mr Salem said the Red Sea was home to 19 shark species, all of which are known to attack people.

He said the ministry had acquired 60 tracking devices that it would attach to sharks off popular resort locations so that experts could monitor their behaviour to determine what prompts them to attack.

Link to Eid sacrifices?

Sameh Mshaly, an experienced diver in the area, has provided new insight into the recurring shark attacks.

He said these attacks appear to take place every year at the same time in the Hijri calendar because of the presence of livestock boats in the area.

“The shark that attacked the tourist was frenzied, its diet and natural feeding patterns disrupted because of these livestock boats,” Mr Mshaly said in a Facebook post.

Essam Omaria, an official at the Environment Ministry, confirmed that shark behaviour changes significally when food and waste is dumped from ships. This is especially the case in the Red Sea region.

Mr Omaria said it is crucial to understand that the marine ecosystem, which includes predatory sharks, responds to such human-induced changes in a manner that can lead to an increase in incidents of aggression.

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Shark that attacked Russia man on video to be mummified in Egypt museum

Vladimir popov, 23, was eaten alive by a shark off a beach at an egyptian resort in hurghada in june., article bookmarked.

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A shark that attacked a Russian tourist is set to be mummified and displayed in an Egyptian museum.

Vladimir Popov, 23, was eaten alive by a shark off a beach at an Egyptian resort in Hurghada in June. The attack was filmed from the shore by horrified onlookers as the 23-year-old screamed: “Papa, save me!”

Some of Mr Popov’s body parts were recovered inside the shark’s stomach, while the rest were recovered by fishermen from the sea.

Specialists at the Institute of Marine Sciences and the Red Sea Reserves have now begun the embalming process in preparation for the shark being placed in the institute’s museum, according to local media reports.

Egyptian authorities said the shark was handed over to researchers to find out the causes of its behaviour and identify whether the animal is related to one that “caused several previous accidents”.

Following the attack on Mr Popov, who had been living in Egypt with his father for several months amid the war in Ukraine, the shark was caught and dragged to land by boat, before being clubbed to death on the beach “in revenge”.

• Russian man screams ‘papa’ as he is mauled to death by shark in Egypt
• Ten foot shark beaten to death after tourist who screamed for ‘papa’ killed in Egypt
• Egypt shark attacks: How rare is the deadly mauling off the busy tourist beach?

Mr Popov’s father, Yury, told the 112 media outlet of his horror at his son being mauled to death by a shark.

“We went to the beach to relax,” he said. Mr Popov, who is originally from Russia , said the attack “happened in seconds”.

“This meat grinder happened in 20 seconds, he was just dragged under the water.

“This is an absolutely ridiculous coincidence, because it is a safe beach. There are ships and yachts around. It’s never happened there. They usually attack on wild beaches. It’s just some kind of evil fate.”

Mr Popov said he would cremate his son and return his ashes to Russia.

Describing the attack, a witness said: “At one point, the shark appeared, and immediately bit this man. Rescuers saw this and began to start the boat. He tried to swim away from the shark, but he couldn’t.

“And the shark dragged the body for two hours. It constantly dragged him under the water.”

Another woman is believed to have been pulled out of the water after being close to where Mr Popov was killed. It is not known if she was a relative of the 23-year-old.

Witnesses said the victim’s girlfriend had been in the water at the time of the attack. Russian reports say she is safe and has returned to Russia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of a citizen from a shark attack, the Daily Mail reported.

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Russian dies in shark attack off Egypt's Red Sea coast

Cairo (AFP) – A Russian man was killed on Thursday when a shark attacked him off the coast of Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Hurghada, authorities said.

Issued on: 08/06/2023 - 20:54

"An attack by a tiger shark on a beachgoer... led to his death," Egypt's environment ministry posted on Facebook, without providing further details.

Russian media said the victim was a Russian national in his 20s, and video circulated on social media appearing to show the incident.

Russian Consul-General Viktor Voropayev told state-owned TASS news agency that the Egyptian authorities had confirmed to him the death of the Russian national who was born in 1999.

"The victim was not a tourist, but a permanent resident of Egypt," Voropayev told the news agency.

Video footage said to be of the incident was widely circulated on social media in Egypt, showing a person struggling to escape from the shark.

Egypt's environment ministry said a team had captured the shark "to inspect it", saying it had displayed "abnormal behaviour... resulting in the incident".

It said water activities would be suspended for two days starting on Friday, pointing to previous attacks on people by the same type of shark.

The Red Sea is a popular tourist destination, where sharks are common but rarely attack people who swim within authorised areas.

Last July, two women, an Austrian and a Romanian, were killed in a shark attack near Hurghada.

In 2018, a Czech tourist was killed by a shark off a Red Sea beach after a similar attack killed a German tourist in 2015.

In 2010, a spate of five attacks in five days unusually close to the shore of tourist hotspot Sharm el-Sheikh killed one German and injured four other foreign tourists.

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• Travel Updates

Tiger shark clubbed to death after killing tourist in Egyptian resort Hurghada

A 10ft tiger shark was beaten to death after it killed a Russian tourist in the Egyptian resort of Hurghada.

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A tiger shark was clubbed to death in a savage revenge attack after the beast killed a tourist at a popular resort in the Red Sea.

Tourists watched in horror as Vladimir Popov, 23, was dragged under the water and mauled to death by the 10ft “meat grinder” shark in Egypt’s Hurghada.

Popov’s helpless dad Yury was watching from the shore as his son desperately screamed “papa, papa” while the predator hunted him.

Witnesses said the shark savaged Popov before toying with his body for a harrowing two hours in the water.

“It’s eating his remains now,” one witness can be heard saying in footage of the horrifying incident, the New York Post reported.

Footage then showed the beast being hauled out of the sea on a small boat in a net before being dumped on the beach and ferociously beaten.

The shark appeared to be alive as it writhed on the sand with a hook in its eye.

The video showed a man savagely smashing it over the head with what appeared to be a stick or a metal pole.

Egyptian authorities said they caught the shark that attacked the Russian man.

Researchers are now probing whether the shark was responsible to any previous incidents in the area.

Popov was on a long stay in Egypt - possibly avoiding the call up to Putin’s war in Ukraine.

His dad Yury told local media: “We went to the beach to relax. My son was attacked by a shark. It all happened in seconds.

“This meat grinder happened in 20 seconds... it is just some kind of evil fate.”

Initial reports suggested Popov was with his girlfriend at the time - but local media reports said she’s currently in Russia.

It’s understood a woman who was also in the water managed to escape.

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of a citizen from a shark attack.

When the incident happened, voices in the sea pleaded: “Swim away, swim away! Quick! A shark!”

One eyewitness said: “It was about seven metres from the shore.”

Another said: “The shark appeared, and immediately bit the man.

“He tried to swim away from the shark, but he couldn’t.

“It dragged the body for two hours. It constantly dragged him under the water.”

Russian tourists have been told to be vigilant in the popular resort and follow the instructions of hotel staff.

It comes after a 37-year-old tourist was ambushed by a shark at a Red Sea resort in Aqaba, Jordan, in June 2021.

The man was parasailing when he suddenly began to graze the ocean.

A shark then leapt from the water and chomped his leg - and the tourist miraculously managed to not get dragged beneath the water.

He was left brutally bitten and sustained serious injuries from the attack.

And in July last year, a tourist was mauled to death by a shark in Sahl Hasheesh, Egypt.

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The 68-year-old snorkeller had apparently told her partner she was just going back into the water “for a moment” before being killed.

Her lifeless body was pulled out of the sea after being located on a reef, according to horrified eyewitnesses.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission

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New details on the Aussie surfers killed in Mexico have emerged after the bodies of Perth-born Jake and Callum Robinson were found down a hidden well.

A grim update has emerged in the search for a cruise ship passenger who went overboard in waters just outside Sydney.

A man on board a nearby ship where search and rescue efforts are underway to find a missing passenger described the scene is “scary”.

Tourists Watch Russian Man Get Devoured by Shark on Egypt Beach

“It’s eating his remains now,” one witness could be heard saying as the shark pulled the man underwater.

Allison Quinn

News Editor

Joseph Prezioso/Anadolu Agency via Getty

Warning: This piece contains graphic video that may be disturbing to viewers.

Tourists visiting the popular Egyptian resort of Hurghada watched a man get eaten alive by a shark just feet away from a crowded beach.

The incident occurred on the beach of the Dream Beach hotel, according to Russian media reports , which said the victim was a Russian citizen.

Russia’s consul-general in Hurghada, Viktor Voropayev, told the country’s TASS news agency that the deadly attack happened Thursday.

“A Russian died as a result of the shark attack,” he said, identifying the victim as 23-year-old “V. Popov,” who he said was not a tourist but had been living in Egypt for several months. Russian media reports named the victim as Vladimir Popov.

Terrifying footage of the encounter shows hotel staffers screaming for swimmers to get out of the water as the shark’s fin can be seen approaching.

Popov can then be seen struggling with the shark before it becomes clear to all those watching that it’s a losing battle. According to Russian media reports, his father was watching on the beach at the time of the attack, and Popov had cried out for him as he struggled to escape the shark.

“It’s eating his remains now,” one witness who filmed the attack can be heard saying. Shortly after, the beast pulled him completely underwater.

Witnesses said rescuers tried to save Popov but by the time they got there, the shark had already gotten him.

A woman identified in Russian media reports as Popov’s girlfriend reportedly managed to swim away and escape. Footage showed her crying hysterically on the beach as bystanders tried to comfort her.

Tourists visiting the resort have reportedly now been banned from entering the water, and those who witnessed the grisly incident were in a state of shock.

“It happened in a second. Rescuers reacted very quickly. For some reason, I immediately felt that it was a shark. I immediately jumped up and started shouting: ‘Sharks, sharks! Save yourself!’ Nobody understood yet,” a witness told Russia’s REN-TV .

“It’s a terrible thing, the remains of this guy are over there. I’m shaking. Right in front of my eyes, the shark ate that guy. I think I need a drink. I feel really bad,” another woman told the Baza Telegram channel.

The killer shark was later captured and killed, the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda reported.

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast  here .

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Russian man killed in Hurghada shark attack

9 June 2023 2 minutes

By Mark 'Crowley' Russell

A 23-year-old Russian man has been killed in an ‘attack’ by a tiger shark while snorkelling off the coast of the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada, according to Egyptian and Russian authorities.

Seventy-four km (46 miles) of coastline surrounding Hurghada has been closed following the incident, and will remain off-limits to watersports activities until Sunday.

Early reports suggested the shark was a mako or oceanic white-tip shark, however, Egyptian authorities say that it was a tiger shark which they have now caught and which they are examining to determine a possible cause for the extremely rare form of attack.

It has since been reported that the shark was captured and dragged from the water by boat, before being beaten to death on the shore.

A video of the attack which has been circulating online shows the shark circling and repeatedly attacking the swimmer, before finally dragging him underwater. In the video, the man is heard calling out for his ‘papa’, and a bystander later states that the shark is ‘eating his remains.’

The man has been identified as Vladimir Popov, who was living in Hurghada with his father, Yury for several months.

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In July 2022, beaches around the resort of Sahl Hasheesh and Makadi Bay, 25km south of Hurghada, were closed for several days following the deaths of a 68-year-old Austrian woman and a Romanian woman, said to be in her 40s, several hours later.

Both deaths were blamed on a mako shark, although it is unclear if the species of the shark or sharks involved was ever identified.

Shark-biting incidents of any type are extremely rare, however, the nature of the Russian man’s ‘mauling’ is particularly unusual shark behaviour. Most unprovoked shark-biting incidents involve a single bite – which can sometimes prove fatal – rather than a sustained attack.

Authorities have asked tourists to ‘remain vigilant’ when heading into the water.

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This article has been updated to reflect the name of the deceased, which was previously unreleased, and the method of the shark’s capture and killing. The story is still developing and we will update with further information if it becomes available.

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Hurghada: Russian man dies after shark attack off Red Sea resort in Egypt

• Thursday 8 June 2023 at 6:32pm

A Russian citizen has died after being attacked by a shark off the Egyptian resort of Hurghada, according to Russia's Consul General in the city.

Viktor Voropayev said, in a statement shared on Telegram, that the death had been confirmed "by Egypt's competent authorities".

The statement called on Russians to "be vigilant when in the water, strictly abide by swimming and diving bans imposed by the Egyptian authorities, and strictly obey warnings from hotel personnel and coast guards to get back to land".

The incident took place off the popular Red Sea resort's Dream Beach at around 3pm local time.

Mr Voropayev told Russia's TASS agency that the man was born in 1999 and was not a tourist, but a permanent resident of Egypt.

He added that Russia's C onsulate General in  Hurghada was in constant contact with local authorities in the province.

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A tiger shark killed a Russian man swimming at an Egyptian beach filled with people Thursday — including the man’s own father, according to Russian media reports.

A video circulating online that appears to be of the attack shows a huge splash and commotion in the water as the man is dragged under, while terrified onlookers scream for help.

“It’s eating his remains now,” one witness who filmed the incident can be heard saying. 

Egypt’s environment ministry reported on Facebook that a tiger shark was responsible for the man’s death near the Elysees Dream Beach Hotel at the popular Egyptian resort of Hurghada.

Russia’s consul general in Hurghada, Viktor Voropayev, told local news agency  TASS the victim is 23-year-old Russian “V. Popov,” saying he was not a tourist, but had been living in Egypt for several months, the Daily Beast reported.

His name was later revealed to be Vladimir Popov .

Popov’s girlfriend reportedly managed to escape the water unscathed.

Bystanders claimed they tried to help Popov — to no avail.

“It happened in a second. Rescuers reacted very quickly. For some reason, I immediately felt that it was a shark. I immediately jumped up and started shouting: ‘Sharks, sharks! Save yourself!’ Nobody understood yet,” a witness told Russian station  REN-TV .

“It’s a terrible thing, the remains of this guy are over there. I’m shaking. Right in front of my eyes, the shark ate that guy. I think I need a drink. I feel really bad,” a woman told the  Telegram channel Baza .

Authorities say the shark was captured and transferred to a laboratory “for examination and all required information to determine the possible causes of the attack.”

Water activities in the area were restricted until Sunday.

Shark attacks are rare in Red Sea coastal regions, although there were two attacks just days apart last year in Hurghada that killed an Austrian and a Romanian tourist.

According to National Geographic , tiger sharks are second to great whites in attacking humans.

“But because they have a near completely undiscerning palate, they are not likely to swim away after biting a human, as great whites frequently do,” the outlet noted.

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British tourist injured in shark attack is ‘aware and can communicate’

Peter Smith is in intensive care after suffering damage to an arm, leg and hand and puncture wounds to abdomen

A British tourist who was seriously injured in a shark attack off a Caribbean island is “aware of what is happening and can communicate” in intensive care, his wife has said.

Peter Smith, 64, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, was savaged 10 metres (33ft) off the shore near the Starfish hotel in Courland Bay on the north coast of Tobago on Friday morning.

He suffered damage to his left arm and leg, puncture wounds to the abdomen and injuries to his right hand, the full extent of which are still being evaluated after the attack by a bull shark .

He was in a “stable” condition in Scarborough general hospital in Tobago on Sunday after undergoing surgery.

His wife, Joanna, said in a statement through the BBC: “As of 9am local time today, Peter is aware of what is happening and is able to communicate a little, although he is still under strong medication.”

She thanked “two friends” who remained in the water during the attack to “battle” the shark, estimated to be between 8ft (2 metres) and 10ft long and 2ft wide.

The couple had been holidaying on the island with friends and were due to fly home that day.

The Foreign Office said it was supporting the family.

Several beaches and coastal areas were closed and a TT$10,000 (£1,175) bounty previously offered to anyone who could capture the shark was later retracted .

Last year, there were 69 unprovoked shark attacks and 22 provoked bites worldwide, along with 14 fatalities, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File .

• Trinidad and Tobago
• Marine life

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Shark attacks and seriously injures British tourist in the Caribbean as friends "fight off" the predator

Updated on: April 29, 2024 / 6:23 AM EDT / CBS/AP

A shark attacked a British tourist on Friday in the southeastern Caribbean, prompting the government of Trinidad & Tobago to close seven beaches and a marine park. The man was hospitalized in an intensive care unit following the attack, officials said.

The closure included beaches along the northwestern coast of the island of Tobago. The attack occurred at Turtle Beach along Great Courland Bay.

The BBC identified the victim as Peter Smith, 64, who was on the Caribbean island with wife Jo and friends when he was attacked. His wife said he suffered damage to his left arm and leg, puncture wounds to the abdomen and injuries to his right hand.

This weekend, she said her husband "is aware of what is happening and is able to communicate a little, although he is still under strong medication," according to the BBC.

Officials said the incident involved a bull shark estimated to be eight to 10 fet long, the BBC reported.

The government said in a statement that shark sightings were reported in the Grafton area and the Buccoo Reef Marine Park. Officials said the closures will allow the Coast Guard and Department of Fisheries to investigate the incident and "neutralize the shark threat, if possible."

Eyewitness Orion Jakerov, a water sports manager at the nearby Starfish resort, said other people in the water were "physically trying to fight off the shark."

"I don't think they saw it. They were about waist height in the water so they weren't out of their depth," he told the local broadcaster  TTT Live . "I think their backs were turned and they were just kind of lounging around. Nobody saw the shark coming."

Shark attacks are rare. Last year, there were 69 unprovoked attacks and 22 provoked bites worldwide, along with 14 fatalities, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File .

The incident in Tobago comes after attacks on American tourists in recent months in the Caribbean. In January, a young boy from Maryland was seriously injured when he was bitten by a shark at a resort in the Bahamas.

In December, a  Boston woman was killed in a shark attack  in the Bahamas. Lauren Erickson Van Wart, 44, was paddleboarding with a family member when she was attacked. She was declared dead at the scene by emergency responders. 

Last May, an American woman visiting Turks and Caicos was hospitalized in serious condition after being attacked by a shark while snorkeling. The 22-year-old woman from Connecticut, who was was reportedly on vacation celebrating her graduation from Yale, lost her foot in the attack.

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A British tourist is in a hospital after a shark attack. Tobago closes several beaches

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A shark attacked a British tourist on Friday in the southeastern Caribbean, prompting the government of Trinidad & Tobago to close seven beaches and a marine park. The man was hospitalized in an intensive care unit following the attack, officials said.

The closure included beaches along the northwestern coast of the island of Tobago. The attack occurred at Turtle Beach along Great Courland Bay.

The government said in a statement that shark sightings were reported in the Grafton area and the Buccoo Reef Marine Park. Officials said the closures will allow the Coast Guard and Department of Fisheries to investigate the incident and “neutralize the shark threat, if possible.”

Shark attacks are rare. Last year, there were 69 unprovoked attacks and 22 provoked bites worldwide, along with 14 fatalities, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.