The German Embassy in Cairo is attending to the shipment of the body of a German tourist who was attacked and killed yesterday by a shark while swimming in the Red Sea off the Sharm El-Sheikh shore. The embassy, however, according to a source who spoke to Ahram Online this morning, is not planning to issue a warning to German tourists against frequenting the Red Sea shores of Sharm El-Sheikh. "We look at this as an unfortunate, sad but classic accident," the source said. He added that "it is obvious that those who go swimming in the Red Sea should be careful -- especially after the incidents of the past few days." On Sunday a shark tore the arm off an elderly German tourist and killed her almost immediately. The accident occurred days after sharks had badly mauled four other tourists – three Russians and one from the Ukraine. Egyptian authorities decided to close off the beaches of the Sharm El-Sheikh resorts-- a common attraction for European vacationers and divers. This is the second time in a week that Egyptian authorities have been forced to close down the beaches. The first time was right after the attack on the four European tourists. Less than 24 hours later, officials announced that two sharks suspected of being behind the attacks on the Russian and Ukrainian tourists were caught. Swimmers were allowed back but only for a short while. No specific date has been set for the re-operation of the beaches. Beach tourism is crucial to the Egyptian tourist industry. Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurgadah attractmany tourists every day.
