A TOURIST’S head was reportedly found inside a shark’s stomach after a horror mauling in Egypt’s Red Sea.
Experts believe the female monster – which may have been pregnant – had killed two swimmers last year and returned to the resort seeking “easy prey”.
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The theory follows the death of Russian man Vladimir Popov who was mauled to death by a 10ft beast in front of beachgoers last week.
Tourists in Hurghada watched in horror as the 23-year-old was savaged by the tiger shark – toying with his body for two hours.
Following the attack, local man Mohammed took to a Russian Telegram channel to speak of his terrifying rescue attempt.
He said: “When I swam up to the man, the water was full of blood.
“Then I saw that he no longer had a hand.
“And then a shark appeared.
“I immediately realised that he could not be rescued. There was a woman in the water too.
“[She was] in complete shock.
“I was able to pull her out of the water and bring her to shore, then immediately swam back to the man.”
Popov’s body was reportedly examined by forensic experts at a morgue in Hurghada, who claimed he was “disfigured and with many parts missing”.
The shark is said to have torn his head off, disfigured his face and separated body parts that were retrieved from the sea.
It was also reported the beast ripped apart his chest and ate parts of the abdomen and hands.
Egyptian news site Al Arabiya claimed Popov’s remains, including his head and hand, were found inside the dissected shark.
A spokesman from the morgue said: “The body of the deceased will not be handed over to his family until the forensic medicine has completed its procedures that serve the course of the investigation of the incident.”
The autopsy is ongoing.
However, experts have now claimed the shark may have been involved in two other fatal attacks last summer.
In July, a 68-year-old Austrian tourist Elisabeth Sauer was snorkelling when she was attacked in the water.
And a second victim, a Romanian tourist, was eaten alive just 650ft away.
Dmitry Orlov, a marine biologist and dive operator in the Red Sea, suspected the same shark killed two tourists last year and was pregnant.
He said: “I think that this tiger shark was pregnant.
“Last year there was a pregnant tiger shark.
“She became pregnant again and since she cannot fully chase fish for ordinary prey, she again came, remembering a place where there was easy prey.”
Another expert added that a shark might come close to shore when it’s ready to give birth, and would be “anxious”.
Scientists are reportedly mummifying the shark – which might go on show in a local museum.
The geographically related attacks come after a 37-year-old tourist was ambushed by a shark at a Red Sea resort in 2021.
The man was parasailing close to the ocean surface.
A shark then leapt from the water and chomped his leg – with the tourist miraculously not getting dragged beneath the water.
He was left with serious injuries from the attack.
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