Shark attacks lead to cancellations by travel firms

UK holiday companies cancelled all water activities following shark attacks in Egypt.

Travel Insurance News - 09/12/2010

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British holiday companies have cancelled all boat trips and water sports activities at an Egyptian resort, after shark attacks left one woman dead and several people with serious injuries. Thomson and First Choice further advised all of its holidaymakers not to enter the water at the Sharm el-Sheikh resort.

At the Egyptian resort, on the Red Sea, an elderly German woman died after being attacked by a white tip shark. A few days earlier, three Russian tourists and a Ukrainian were seriously injured in similar attacks.

Thomson and First Choice said they were advising all of their customers at the resort that water sport activities and diving had all been suspended. The UK’s Foreign Office (FO) had earlier issued a warning for all tourists at the resort to be on their guard.

Sharm el-Sheikh is one of the most popular destinations for Brits seeking winter sun. The FO’s website said that attacks like these by such oceanic white tip sharks are very rare and any kind of attack by sharks in the Red Sea is very unusual. On Thursday, Egypt’s Environment Ministry said that two of the sharks thought to have been behind the attacks had been captured.

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