Two women killed in shark attacks just metres from each other in Red Sea

Confronting photos have emerged after a shark’s brutal attack of an Austrian woman who had been snorkelling close to the shore of a resort. WARNING: Graphic

WARNING: GRAPHIC

Sharks have killed two female swimmers within hours of each other near a resort in Egypt’s Red Sea.

Video showed the horrific attack on one of the victims, Austrian woman Elisabeth Sauer, 68. In the video, an onlooker can be heard acknowledging bluntly, “She’s going to f**king die,” the Times of Israel reported.

The woman’s was found alive, her body mutilated near the popular tourist area of Sahl Hasheesh, NY Post reported. She was taken to hospital where she died.

Less than a kilometre away, the body of another woman, a Romanian in her 40s, was found separately after also being attacked by a shark.

It was understood the Romanian tourist was staying at adults-only, five-star hotel, Premiere Le Reve.

The older victim was swimming near the resort when the Mako shark struck, ripping off one of her arms and a leg, the Time of Israel said.

The shark bit the woman’s leg and hand off. Picture: East2West

Video showed the ailing woman swimming away from the shark and toward tourists who threw her a flotation device as the water filled with blood. The tourists complained of the lack of lifeguards during the horror.

A witness recalled watching the shark “twist” her in the water before the shark bit off her leg and hand.

Elisabeth Sauer died after being mauled by a shark in Egypt. Picture: Facebook

“I saw the shark turning and twisting the woman in the water. I didn’t manage to film it, but she was twisted in the water,” they said, according to Daily Mail.

They added the woman tried “fighting off (the shark) with her hands at first, but apparently the shark bit off her leg with a flipper first, then her hand, which it threw it on the corals.

“She was already sitting on the corals, showing her hand (and) leg. She was in (a state of) shock. She didn’t even scream, didn’t cry, nothing,” the witness said.

Onlookers watching from a nearby jetty reporting hearing reaction to the attack as it happened.

“F***, she’s covered in blood. Holy sh**,” one witness said.

“Where’s the rescue team? ‘For f***’s sake. Life Guards? Where are the life guards? She’s going to f***ing die.”

Onlookers watching from a nearby jetty were hear reaction to the attack as it happened. Picture: East2West

The woman incredibly made it to dry land where attempts were made to resuscitate her, but she was taken to a hospital and died.

A source told Reuters the Austrian had been living in Egypt for five years with her Egyptian husband. Austria’s foreign ministry confirmed to AFP “the death of an Austrian citizen in Egypt” without providing further details.

Austrian Greens party, Die Grünen Kramsach, paid tribute to Ms Sauer following her death, revealing she had been a committed member and at one point, a councillor for six years.

“We mourn the passing of our Elisabeth Sauer (68), who died through a tragic accident. Our deepest condolences go out to the family. Elisabeth was a committed Green from the first hour in Kramsach, councillor from 1998 – 2004, for many years loyal substitute councillor and GR – candidate,” the group posted to Facebook.

“May she rest in peace. We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere condolences and compassion. She will forever be remembered for her warm and humanly connecting way.”

The identity of the second victim is still unconfirmed.

Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi ordered the closure of all beaches in the area for three days after the attacks.

Shark attacks are considered rare in the area but have increasingly occurred in recent years. A 12-year-old Ukrainian male tourist lost his arm and leg in an attack in 2020.

In 2018, a Czech tourist was killed by a shark off a Red Sea beach. A similar attack killed a German tourist in 2015.

In 2010, a spate of five attacks in five days unusually close to the shore of tourist hotspot Sharm el-Sheikh killed one German and injured four other foreign tourists.

This article originally appeared on NY Post and was reproduced with permission