Tourist killed by shark off Egyptian Red Sea resort

A German holidaymaker has been killed in a shark attack off a Red Sea resort in Egypt.

Police said the shark bit off the 52-year-old man's leg at the knee.

According to the BBC, the attack took place off the coastal city Al-Qusayr on Sunday.

Officials from the German Embassy in Cairo told the Associated Press they received reports of a German citizen dying but are not aware of the cause of death.

In 2010, popular Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh was hit with a series of shark attacks on swimmers. On 1 December, three Russians and one Ukrainian were seriously injured within minutes of each other and on 5 December a 71-year-old German woman who had visited the resort for 11 years was killed.

Beaches in the resort were closed for over a week and dozens of sharks were captured and killed. The government also issued new rules banning shark feeding and restricted swimming.

Last month, a woman was killed in a shark attack in the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion.

The 20-year-old woman reportedly suffered serious injuries to her leg as she swam close to the beach in southwestern l'Etang-Sale.

The woman received first aid at the beach before being transported to hospital.

According to local sources, she died of cardiac arrest as a result of her injuries.