The remains of a Russian tourist who was attacked and devoured by a shark near an Egyptian resort, were recovered from inside the predator’s belly, New York Post reported.
Subsequently, the shark was captured by beachgoers and brutally beaten to death on the shore. The specialists at the Institute of Marine Sciences and the Red Sea Reserves will now put the shark on display in the institute’s museum, local media reported.
The shark has been handed over to researchers to find out the causes of its behaviour and identify whether the animal is related to one that “caused several previous accidents”, as reported by the Independent.
The horrifying encounter was captured on video as 23-year-old Vladimir Popov was dragged underwater by a tiger shark in Hurghada, while he desperately called for help.
As informed by the probing officials, the shark attacked Popov while he was swimming at a resort beach location, situated along the Red Sea.
Recounting the incident, Popov’s father, Yury, expressed that he and his son had simply gone to the beach to unwind when the incident happened, CEN reported.
Popov was in the water with his girlfriend, who managed to escape, while other beachgoers found themselves helpless as the shark viciously attacked him.
The terrifying video footage shows Popov splashing in the ocean before being dragged beneath the surface, while horrified onlookers scream in horror.
Eyewitnesses claim to have heard Popov cry out, “Papa… save me!” before being abruptly pulled underwater, as detailed by CEN.
Witnesses also stated that the shark appeared to toy with the Russian tourist’s body for a harrowing two hours after the initial attack.
Yury described the incident as “an absolutely ridiculous coincidence” and expressed his intention to cremate his son’s remains, ultimately returning the ashes to Russia.
The shocking attack left many tourists in a state of disbelief, leading beachgoers to gather as investigators captured the shark and brought it ashore.
A vigilante mob subsequently subjected the animal to a brutal clubbing, resulting in its death. One person in the mob even took a selfie as the gruesome spectacle unfolded on his camera in the background.
Although attacks of this nature are fortunately infrequent in the Red Sea coastal regions, the previous year witnessed two fatal shark attacks on women, an Austrian and a Romanian, occurring just days apart in another popular tourist spot in Hurghada.