Part of Egypt's Red Sea coast closed after woman killed in shark attack

Part of the Red Sea coast has been closed after an Austrian woman was killed in a shark attack.

The woman, 68, was swimming near the resort of Hurghada when she was attacked by the shark.

She was barely alive by the time she arrived at a nearby hospital, according to an Egyptian health official.

Having lost a leg and an arm, she died shortly afterwards.

The Associated Press reported that the governor of the Red Sea province closed the area for three days.

All "sea activities" have been banned, including diving, snorkelling, wind surfing, kite sailing and fishing boats.

Hurghada, a resort town which stretches about 25 miles along Egypt's Red Sea coast, is particularly well-known for scuba diving.

It is popular with tourists, although is only just starting to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Video posted online indicated that the woman was attacked by a Mako shark while she was close to the shore.

In the footage, shot from a nearby pier, the water around her turned red with blood.

Bystanders threw a flotation device to her, in an effort to help.

It is not clear how she was able to reach the shore.

Shark attacks are rare in the area.

The most recent was in 2020, when a Ukrainian boy lost an arm and an Egyptian tour guide lost a leg.

In 2010 a number of attacks left a European tourist dead and several others injured off Sharm el-Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula, across the sea from Hurghada.