Egyptian lifeguards ‘LAUGHED at warnings there were sharks at Red Sea resort’ 15 minutes before Austrian woman was ripped to pieces
- English-speaking guests at Egyptian resort where two women were mauled to death by sharks warned lifeguards but were mocked and told ‘there are no sharks in Sahl Hasheesh and never have been,’ it is claimed
- Guards were told just 15 minutes before tourist Elisabeth Sauer was mauled on Friday, Russian tourists claim
- Romanian woman in her 40s also died in suspected shark attack, with remains found on reef also on Friday
- Russian woman living locally now claims Romanian had been missing from her hotel for two days before her body was found, suggesting she may actually have been the first victim
Egyptian lifeguards were warned about sharks being in the water near a Red Sea beach resort just minutes before an Austrian pensioner was mauled to death but laughed off the suggestion, it has been alleged today.
English-speaking guests warned Egyptian guards at Sahl Hasheesh, south of tourist hub Hurghada, about sharks on Friday – 15 minutes before 68-year-old Austrian Elisabeth Sauer was attacked in front of horrified onlookers – but were mocked and told ‘there are no sharks [here] and never have been’, Russian tourists have claimed.
A second woman – identified only as a Romanian national in her 40s – is thought to have been killed in a similar attack just 650ft away from where Sauer died, with her badly disfigured remains found on a nearby reef the same day. News of her death first emerged on Sunday.
But another Russian woman – named only as Zhanna – has told reporters that the Romanian woman went missing from the five-star Premiere Le Reve hotel where she was staying two days before her body was found, suggesting she may have actually been the first victim.
Ms Sauer lost an arm and a leg in an attack that was caught on film, as onlookers tried to distract the shark and get her to safety. She reached the shore with the help of a flipper, but died a short time later. Details about when the Romanian woman was killed have not been made public, with Egyptian officials now facing claims of a cover-up.
Zhanna, who lives in Hurghada, told Russian outlet Gazette.ru: ‘She was found on coral…her body disfigured, a citizen of Romania.’ She had been ‘missing from her room for two days,’ Zhanna said.
She added: ‘After the first victim, no one closed any beaches. I swam freely… They, as always, wanted to hide it, but when it became known there were two victims, they finally stirred.’
Elisabeth Sauer, A 68-year-old retired Austrian woman (left) was mauled to death by a shark on Friday while swimming in the sea off the coast of Hurghada, Egypt, with the attack caught on camera (right)
Horrified onlookers tried to distract the shark and helped the woman get to shore but she died a short time later from shock, according to Egyptian officials
It later emerged that a second woman – a Romanian nation in her 40s – also died in a suspected shark attack with her badly disfigured remains found on a reef a short distance away the same day Ms Sauer was killed
Egyptian officials have now closed the waters around Hurghada, but are facing claims that lifeguards laughed off warnings from English-speaking tourists about a shark just minutes before Ms Sauer died
Separately, a post on a Russian social media site for tourists added: ‘English-speaking people standing at the pier saw a shark 15 minutes before the attack, and warned the lifeguards.
‘But they laughed at them, saying there are no sharks in Sahl Hasheesh and never have been. To put it bluntly, everything is Egyptian style… There is no science, no proper system.’
Yesterday, officials at the Red Sea Governorate said the area of the attack and Hurghada would be closed to all sea activity including fishing and diving, as the nearby beaches were left deserted in the wake of the deaths.
A Russian tourist who filmed footage – which MailOnline has opted not to publish because of its graphic nature – of the first attack posted a new video showing the location of the second fatal incident.
What is a Mako shark?
A mako shark is a species of swift, active, and potentially dangerous sharks of the mackerel shark family.
There is a shortfin and longfin species, depending on whether its open or shallow water.
Adults, prized for their fighting qualities and repeated leaps out of the water, can be 4.5 metres (14.8 feet) in length and exceed 500kg (about 1,100 pounds) in weight.
They prey on fishes such as herring, mackerel, and swordfish and small cetaceans.
Source: Britannica
Using his finger to explain, he said: ‘This is a small lagoon where we saw [the shark] for the first time. And we didn’t realise it was a shark.
‘The attack I filmed [earlier] was here [in the video he points towards the pier]. And the body of the second woman was pulled out approximately here.’
Writing on Facebook Die Grünen Kramsach said: ‘We mourn the passing of our Elisabeth Sauer (68), who died in a tragic bathing accident in Egypt.
‘Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family […]. Elisabeth was a committed Green from the first hour in Kramsach, a councillor from 1998 to 2004, and for many years a loyal substitute councillor and [Green] candidate. May she rest in peace.
‘We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere condolences and compassion. She will forever be remembered for her warmth and [compassion].’
Hundreds of tourists had seen the first attack on the Austrian woman who had been snorkelling, while wearing flippers, when she was attacked, and complained there were no lifeguards as swimmers fled the sea.
The Russian witness said: ‘I saw the shark turning and twisting the woman in the water. I didn’t manage to film it, but she was twisted in the water.’
Earlier he told how he saw the woman ‘fighting off [the shark] with her hands at first, but apparently the shark bit off her leg with a flipper first, then her hand, which it threw it on the corals.
‘She was already sitting on the corals, showing her hand [and] leg. She was in [a state of] shock. She didn’t even scream, didn’t cry, nothing.’
After miraculously making her way back to land, the Austrian woman was given CPR by doctors at the scene but she died minutes later in an ambulance.
A second woman whose identity and nationality have not been revealed is believed to have been staying at the Premiere Le Reve five star hotel (pictured). It is thought that this woman is Romania
A spokeswoman for the Austrian Embassy in Cairo told the MailOnline: ‘Our Embassy in Cairo is in close contact with the family, including her partner (an Austrian of Egyptian descent), who witnessed the tragic scene, and her daughter.
‘The Austrian Embassy is in contact with relatives of the deceased as well as with the local authorities.’
It said she was walking not far from the beach within the designated bathing when she was attacked and it was still unclear how the shark came so close to her.
What is an Oceanic whitetip shark?
Oceanic whitetip sharks, are large stocky sharks with a huge, rounded first dorsal fins and long, wide-tipped pectoral fins.
They grow up to 4m in total length with a maximum weight of 168 kg and usually live an age of 22 years.
And are also on the critically endangered list according to Fraser University.
Source: Marine Bio
Video shows witnesses on a nearby jetty record the woman’s survival attempt and comment on her predicament.
A group of Russian tourists are heard saying: ‘Where are the rescuers?
‘F***, she’s covered in blood. Holy s***.
‘Where’s the rescue team? ‘For f****’s sake.
‘Life guards? Where are the life guards? She’s going to f***ing die!’
The 68-year-old woman, who lost a leg and an arm, died shortly after being taken to the private Nile Hospital in Hurghada, an Egyptian health official said.
She was barely alive when she was taken in on Friday, the official said, adding that attempts by medical staff to resuscitate her failed.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to reporters.
The governor of the Red Sea province closed the area for three days, banning all ‘sea activities’ including diving, snorkelling, wind surfing and kite sailing.
Fishing boats were also banned from the waters off Hurghada. A local report quoted by Russian news agency RIA Novosti added: ‘The woman died in the ambulance from painful shock.’
Reports from news agency AFP and Austrian news outlets point to the attack being committed by a Mako shark while local Egyptian newspapers have named the animal as an Oceanic whitetip shark.
The same unnamed Russian tourist who filmed footage – which is too graphic to be shown – in the aftermath of the first attack posted a new video showing the location of the second fatal incident
Using his finger to explain, he said: ‘This is a small lagoon where we saw [the shark] for the first time’
How rare are shark attacks in the Red Sea?
In June 2021, a 37-year-old Jordanian man was bit in the leg by a shark and survived.
In December 2020, a German woman, 42, was savaged by a shark while diving in near Marsa Alam.
In October 2020 a 12-year-old Ukrainian boy on holiday in Egypt and his tour guide lost limbs after an attack by an oceanic whitetip shark.
In August 2018, a 41-year-old Czech tourist died after being attacked 12 miles north of the town of Marsa Alam.
In 2010, five shark attacks took place at Sharm el Sheikh in the same number of days.
The Ministry of the Environment announced today that an expert group was investigating the attacks, which are seen as rare in the area.
The resort area is also popular with Russian tourists, and remains open to them in contrast to many European destinations following the war in Ukraine.
‘We ask Russian citizens to remain vigilant when in the water, and strictly follow the bans imposed by the Egyptian authorities on swimming, diving and fishing on the high seas and off the coast,’ tourists were told by their consulate-general in Hurghada.
They were also told to ‘strictly observe the signals from hotel employees and the coast guards’.
Shark attacks in Egypt are rare – but the Red Sea has more than 44 species of the fish, some of which can be deadly.
Most common are 6ft-long grey reef sharks, which have 13 or 14 sharp teeth.
They swim in shallow waters around 60m deep or less.
In June 2021, a tandem parasailer, a 37-year-old Jordanian man, was hovering above the water in Aqaba when a shark suddenly emerged and bit his leg.
The man lost part of the back of his foot in the attack which also severed tendons, tore muscles and broke several bones.
In December 2020, a German woman was savaged by a shark while diving in the Red Sea before instructors pulled her away to safety.
The oceanic whitetip shark latched on to the woman, 42, near Marsa Alam in Egypt.
The tourist was taken to hospital where she is recovering in a ‘stable condition’, according to the Governor for the Red Sea Amr Hanafi.
In October 2020 a 12-year-old Ukrainian boy on holiday in Egypt and his tour guide lost limbs after an attack by an oceanic whitetip shark.
The pair needed amputations after the vicious incident at resort Ras Muhammad in the Red Sea. And in 2010, five shark attacks took place at Sharm el Sheikh in the same number of days.
Three Russians, one Ukrainian and one German tourist were injured. The German tourist, 71-year-old resort regular Renata Seifert, died of her injuries.
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