*Warning: Article Contains Distressing Content*
The last words of the tourist who died from a shark attack in Egypt last week have been revealed.
On Friday (1 July), the 68-year-old Austrian woman had been swimming in Sahl Hasheesh - a popular bay on the Red Sea coast - when the tragedy unfolded.
Shocking footage captured by Russian tourists shows pools of blood around the woman as she struggles to make her way back to the pier.
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Some reports state that she lost an arm, while others claim she lost both an arm and leg. Despite her condition, she managed to make her way back to shore.
A source at the Red Sea Health Affairs Directorate told Reuters that she was rushed to a nearby private hospital but she succumbed to her injuries despite attempts to resuscitate her.
And it has now been reported by the MailOnline that her final words were to her Egyptian husband, in which she said: "I'll go back in for a moment." This was just moments before the creature attacked.
In the wake of the tragedy, one local publication reported: "The pensioner was swimming in the Sahl Hashish area, south of the resort of Hurghada, on Friday.
"She was attacked by a shark which bit off her arm and leg. She tried to reach shore on her own…
"Medics arrived and took her to hospital. Along the way the doctors performed resuscitation measures, but her heart was not restarted.
"The woman died in the ambulance."
Shortly after the incident, it was revealed that a second woman was also killed by a shark attack at a Red Sea beach.
Two sources told Reuters that the body of a Romanian tourist in her late forties was discovered just hours after a 68-year-old Austrian woman was fatally attacked.
Both attacks happened within 600 metres of each other, off the coast of Sahl Hasheesh, according to the sources.
Confirming the two deaths, the Egyptian Ministry of Environment said in a statement that a committee had been formed to examine the circumstances of the attacks, and to find any scientific reasons behind them.
It also said that Major General Amr Hanafi, the Governor of the Red Sea Governorate, has issued an order to suspend all activity in the area surrounding the location of the attacks.
According to a guide on Red Sea shark attacks, such incidents are very rare, especially for those swimming near the beach in day time.
"As of June 2021, we only know of four fatalities off the Egyptian coast as a consequence of shark attacks during the last ten years," the report states.
However, in light of the recent incidents several Red Sea beaches have been shut down by local authorities.
Topics: Animals, World News
Daisy Phillipson