Tourist, 12, and guide lose limbs in shark attack in Egypt

Two-metre long Oceanic Whitetip struck after being seen acting aggressively

A 12-year-old boy has lost his arm and a tour guide his leg after a devastating shark attack at the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The youngster, from the Ukraine, was snorkelling with his mother and the local guide when the two-metre long predator struck.

Authorities have now suspended all activities at the Ras Mohammed Nature Reserve where the incident took place, Egypt’s Environment Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Video footage captured at the location before the attack on Saturday showed the shark — believed to be an Oceanic Whitetip — acting aggressively, it said.

No further details were released by authorities in the African country but a statement put out by Ukraine's State Agency for the Development of Tourism said the child was in intensive care, and that surgery had failed to save his arm.

An Egyptian health official, speaking anonymously, said that the family's guide had lost a leg, and the mother suffered light injuries.

Shark attacks are generally rare in the region but a German tourist was killed there in 2010 during a spate of five incidents in just a few days.