CAIRO, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The beaches at a popular Egyptian tourist resort on the Red Sea remained deserted after two shark attacks left four people injured, authorities said.
Sharm el-Sheik, home to more than 1,000 species of exotic fish, spectacular corals and a magnet for diving enthusiasts from all over the world, was quiet in the aftermath of the attacks, Britain's Guardian reported Friday
Attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday sent three Russians and a Ukrainian to a hospital in Cairo with injuries to their limbs and backs.
"All the people ran away back to the hotel, no one wanted to stay on the beach. Now it's very quiet," said Mohamed Rashad, a barman at a nearby beach restaurant.
"People are scared to come to the beach. They are just coming to the bar to have a drink. They don't even want to stay on the sunbeds," he said.
Authorities closed the beaches and Egypt's environment ministry said two sharks had been caught and were being dissected to examine the contents of their stomachs.
Shark attacks around Sharm el-Sheik are unusual, said Marcus Maurer, the manager of the Extra Dive Center whose staff rescued one of the victims.
But tourists must share the blame for the attacks, he said.
"These are open-water sharks. The biggest problem is people feeding the fish. The fish are an attraction, people like to see them," he said.
"But if people throw food in the water, the fish come inside the reef and maybe the sharks follow the fish. They are changing the behavior of the animals."
