An investigation has been opened by Egypt’s Qusair Prosecutor’s Office to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident in which two Italian tourists were attacked by a shark in the waters north of Marsa Alam. Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale) sources confirmed that one of the two, 48-year-old Gianluca Di Gioia from Rome, died before help could arrive. The other diver, 69, originally from the province of Cremona, was rushed to Port Ghalib Hospital. His condition at the moment is not serious.
The Egyptian Ministry of Environment formed an urgent committee for coordination and cooperation with the Red Sea governorate to facilitate the investigation. From initial reconstructions, Egyptian authorities said in a post on Facebook that the attack occurred outside the deep-water swimming area, assuming the two divers were experts.
The waters where the incident occurred will remain closed to bathing for a few days, and the Ministry of Environment has reportedly raised the alert level in the area.
