'IT WAS TRAGIC'
Egypt shark attack 2023: Dad of tourist mauled to death by beast says it was his son’s ‘destiny’ to die in the horror
The dad of a tourist who was killed in a shark attack in Egypt has said it was his son's "destiny".
Yury Popov, whose son Vladimir was mauled by a pregnant tiger shark in Hurghada on June 9, was pictured for the first time in a meeting with Egyptian officials.
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The grieving father said: "The fate of my son is tragic.
Vladimir, 23, was dragged into the water and savaged by the 10ft-long "meat grinder" and screamed "papa" as Yury watched helplessly from the shore.
The brutal attack was caught on chilling footage.
In a gruesome twist, his head and hand were reportedly found inside the shark's digestive system, after it was caught and clubbed to death by locals.
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The beast 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.
However, Yury stressed that he did not blame Egyptian authorities for his son's death and said that the attack could have "happened anywhere".
Officials have agreed to release Vladimir's remains to his father so the family can hold a funeral for him in his native .
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Russian consul general Consul-General Viktor Voropaev said: "The deceased Russian's father, who is in , will soon receive his remains.
"The father will deliver his son's ashes to our home country."
Vladimir had been living with his father in Egypt for several months, prompting speculation he had been avoiding conscription into Putin’s cruel war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the shark, which was spotted stalking the coast for three days before the savage attack, is reportedly set to be embalmed and displayed in a museum.
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.
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"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".
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