Red Sea Shark Attack: Russian Man Mauled to Death by Tiger Shark

A Russian man has been mauled to death by a tiger shark off one of Egypt's Red Sea resorts, in a rare and horrific attack that was captured on video.

The victim, identified as Vladimir Popov, 23, was swimming in the waters near the city of Hurghada on Thursday when he was attacked by the shark.

A video circulating online shows Mr Popov screaming for help and shouting "papa" as he is repeatedly bitten by the shark, which then drags him under the water.

His father, Yury Popov, who witnessed the attack from the shore, said he was powerless to save his son.

"We went to the beach to relax. My son was attacked by a shark, it all happened in seconds," he told the 112 media outlet.

"What kind of help can you give? This meat grinder happened in 20 seconds, he was just dragged under the water."

He said the attack was 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.

Egypt's environment ministry said it had caught the shark and was examining it in a laboratory to try to determine the reasons for the rare attack.

It also closed off a 46-mile (74km) stretch of the coastline until Sunday as a precautionary measure.

The Russian consulate in Hurghada confirmed the death of a Russian citizen and urged tourists to be vigilant when in the water and to follow any swimming bans imposed by local authorities.

Shark attacks are rare in the Red Sea coastal regions, but there were two fatal incidents last year in Hurghada involving Austrian and Romanian tourists.

Egypt's Red Sea resorts, such as Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, are popular with European tourists and divers who are drawn by the vibrant sea life and coral reefs.

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