Warning: This piece contains graphic videos that may be disturbing to viewers.
Tourists visiting the popular Egyptian resort of Hurghada saw a man eaten alive by a shark just meters from a crowded beach.
According to Russian media reports, the incident happened on the beach of the Dream Beach hotel. The victim was a Russian citizen.
Russian Consul General in Hurghada Viktor Voropayev told the Russian news agency TASS that the deadly attack took place on Thursday.
“A Russian died as a result of the shark attack,” he said, identifying the victim as 23-year-old “V. Popov,” who he said is not a tourist but has been living in Egypt for several months. Russian media reports named the victim as Vladimir Popov.
In chilling footage of the encounter, hotel workers can be seen yelling at the swimmers to get out of the water as the shark’s fin is seen getting closer.
Popov is then seen fighting the shark before all viewers realize it’s a losing fight. According to Russian media reports, his father was watching the attack on the beach at the time of the attack and Popov had been yelling for him as he struggled to escape the shark.
“It’s eating its remains now,” says a witness who filmed the attack. Shortly thereafter, the beast pulled him completely under the water.
Witnesses said rescuers tried to save Popov, but by the time they got there, the shark had already caught him.
According to reports, a woman identified as Popov’s girlfriend in Russian media reports managed to swim away and escape. Footage showed her crying hysterically on the beach while passers-by tried to comfort her.
Tourists visiting the resort have now reportedly been banned from the water and those who witnessed the grisly incident were left in shock.
“It happened in a second. The rescuers reacted very quickly. For some reason I had an immediate feeling that it was a shark. I immediately jumped up and started screaming, ‘Sharks, sharks!’ Save yourself!’ No one has understood it yet,” a witness told Russian broadcaster REN-TV.
“It’s a horrible thing, this guy’s remains are over there. I’m shivering. Right before my eyes, the shark ate this guy. I think I need something to drink. I’m really sick,” another woman told Baza Telegram.
The killer shark was later caught and killed, according to the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda reported.