Cape Town - A child lost his arm and his mother suffered deep wounds in a shark attack on Sunday at a marine reserve near the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
According to local media, three people were injured in the attack, including a Ukrainian mother and her son, as well as an Egyptian tour guide.
CNN reports that the Ukrainian tourists were attacked by a shark while swimming in the Ras Mohammed National Reserve, Ukraine's state agency for tourism development said in a statement.
The tourists were taken to Sharm International Hospital, where they were provided with medical care.
According to a statement by the Ukrainian embassy in Egypt, the mother sustained deep wounds while the child had an amputated upper limb from the elbow as well as deep wounds to his back.
The embassy revealed the mother has been transferred to the hospital station, while the child remains in intensive care.
According to local media, in November 2019 the governorate of South Sinai banned water sports, including diving and snorkelling, especially from watercraft, for people who do not have the relevant certificates.
Meanwhile, all activities have been suspended in the vicinity of the Ras Mohammed diving spot, Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram news agency reported on Tuesday, writes CNN.
Local media reported that authorities will issue a detailed statement upon the completion of the investigations to determine the type and size of the shark and the cause of the accident.
A 2017 study revealed that human practices are the main cause of such attacks.
An Egypt Today report dated August 2017 revealed that tourists illegally feed the sharks in deep water for amusement.
In August 2017, a 20-year-old Austrian tourist was attacked by a shark in Marsa Alam in south-east Egypt while snorkelling off one of the Red Sea beaches, according to an Egypt Today report.
African News Agency (ANA)