Shark attack kills German tourist at Red Sea resort in Egypt

AL-QUSAIR, Egypt, March 22 (UPI) -- A German tourist is dead after a shark bit his leg off at a resort on Egypt's Red Sea coast, according to officials.

The unidentified 52-year-old man died after being rushed to a hospital Sunday in the coastal city of al-Qusair. Officials said the shark bit his leg off below the knee. An investigation is underway.

An official with the German Embassy in Cairo confirmed reports that a German citizen died in the area but said they had not been notified of a cause of death.

The last recorded shark attack in the region, which is a popular diving destination, occurred in 2010 when a 70-year-old woman -- also a German tourist -- was killed while snorkeling in waters off Sharm el-Sheikh.

The 2010 attack came just days after four Eastern European tourists were injured in shark attacks in the same waters, which are reportedly abundant with oceanic whitetip sharks. The attacks prompted a week-long closure of the Sharm el-Sheikh resort.

A Frenchwoman was killed by a shark a year earlier in waters around al-Qusair.

Sunday's attack comes four days after a doctor from Kansas City, Mo., suffered lacerations to his left forearm and thigh after being attacked by a tiger shark in waters off Hapuna Beach, Hawaii.