A young Ukrainian tourist lost an arm and an Egyptian tour guide a leg in a rare shark attack over the weekend off Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, officials said Tuesday.
The attack took place Sunday when two tourists — a mother and her son —and their tour guide were snorkelling in Ras Mohammed national park, the Environment Ministry said in a statement.
The injured were taken to a nearby hospital and an initial investigation showed that the attack involved a 2-meter long Oceanic Whitetip shark, the ministry said.
The ministry did not release details of the injuries, but a statement by Ukraine's State Agency for the Development of Tourism said Monday the 12-year-old boy was in intensive care, and that surgery had failed to save his arm.
An Egyptian health official said that the family's guide had lost a leg, and the mother suffered light injuries. The health official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media.