A fatal shark attack has been caught on camera in Egypt.
Vladimir Popov, 23, was visiting Hurghada June 8 with his father and girlfriend.
The Russian citizen who had been living in Egypt for several months, his girlfriend and another friend entered the water near Dreams Beach to relax when a tiger shark showed up. His girlfriend and the other friend swam roughly 22 feet back to shore.
Unfortunately, the tiger shark attacked Popov grabbing his leg. A bystander filmed the horrific shark attack which showed Popov calling for his father as he is being pulled underwater with both legs kicking frantically above the water’s surface. Rescuers quickly boated to the scene, but the shark struck multiple times until Popov disappeared completely beneath the water.
Shocking video showed his headless torso being pulled from the water by his severely injured legs. Photographs of his body showed severe injury to the legs above the thigh where the legs connect to the torso.
Tiger shark captured
Video taken after the attack shows a large tiger shark swimming near the area. Locals used fishing nets and boats to surround the shark before battering it and pulling it to shore. Once on the beach locals beat the pregnant shark, which may have been dead, with sticks.
Photographs of the necropsy on the estimated 12-foot shark showed the sharks innards, but no human remains. However, authorities stated the recovered Popov’s hand and head from the predator’s stomach.
The shark has been given to the the Institute of Marie Sciences and Reserves of the Red Sea who have been photographed preserving the shark. Once preserved the shark will be displayed in a museum.
There is some debate among shark researchers as to if the shark killed is the correct shark while other surmize it is possible that it is in fact the same shark and may be the same shark involved in the fatal attack on two other tourists last year.
A few days after Popov’s attack, a dive boat caught on fire and 3 British tourists went missing. Two other British divers reported that they witnessed a woman being mauled by a tiger shark in 2011 off Sharm el-Sheikh. The pair stated they were told not to speak of the incident as it could adversely affect tourism.
Popov’s father stated that his son’s death was tragic and could have happened anywhere as it was his “destiny”.
His father will collect the remains, have them cremated and then transported back to Russia.
The location has been marked on the 2023 Shark Attack Map.
