Tourist dies after shark attack in Red Sea off the Egyptian coast

Czech man dies in first such incident since 2015

Egyptian beaches are popular with tourists (Getty)

A Czech tourist has been killed by a shark near a Red Sea resort off the coast of Egypt.

The man, believed to have been in his forties, was swimming near the town of Marsa Alam when he was attacked on Friday.

His family, who were on holiday with him, have returned to the Czech Republic.

A town official confirmed the death and warned that those who swim in deep waters beyond the coral are vulnerable to attack.

Four people have been killed and five others injured in shark attacks in Egypt since 2004.

In 2015 a German tourist was killed in a shark attack off the Red Sea coast.

The worst period for shark attacks in the country came in 2010 when there was a spate of five incidents in as many days.

The government reacted by closing the stretch of beach in question for one week.