A BRAVE man tried desperately to fend off a shark as it attacked his friend off the coast of Egypt.
Despite the heroic actions of his friend, Gianluca Di Gioia, 48, tragically died, while his pal Giuseppe Fappani escaped with horrific injuries.
FacebookPictured: Gianluca Di Gioia, 48, died after he was attacked by a shark off the coast of Egypt[/caption]
FacebookHe was mauled while snorkelling near a beach-side resort[/caption]
GettyThe men were attacked by a tiger shark (pictured, stock image)[/caption]
The Italian tourist, 69, told how he tried to pull his friend from the jaws of a tiger shark as they were attacked near the resort of Marsa Alam.
Di Gioia – who worked for the diplomatic arm of the EU – had been snorkelling in front of a luxe Red Sea holiday spot before the attack.
He was in the water with Fappani as they celebrated his recent 48th birthday.
The pair were swimming some 50 metres away from the shore where a jetty sticking out from the beach allows tourists to go beyond a coral reef.
Fappani’s wife tragically watched the attack unfold from a nearby pier.
She told Corriere Della Sera that she saw her husband swim towards his friend in a last-ditch attempt to scare the shark off.
The shell-shocked woman said: “Peppino did everything he could to save Gianluca Di Gioia who was snorkeling.
“That area is safe to swim in.
“I was on the pier, I saw him swim towards Gianluca to scare the shark but then Peppino was bitten on the arms and legs too.”
Fappani’s injuries were so bad it was not clear at first whether he would survive the attack.
Incredibly, the 69-year-old managed to push the shark away for a few moments before it came thrashing back.
Di Gioia’s wife Laurence was also watching as her husband was ravaged by the beast.
The pair, from Rome and living in France, had been married since 2013.
Di Gioia had been working for the European External Action Service since 2012.
She reportedly screamed for help as a dinghy left the shore.
Both men were rushed to hospital in Port Ghalib, some 30 miles north of Marsa Alam.
Meanwhile the area where the pair were swimming has been closed off to visitors and locals for several days.
Egyptian authorities said the horrifying incident happened in “deep waters outside the designated swimming area”.
Officials confirmed an emergency committee would be established to investigate the shock attack.
The Red Sea has long been a popular locations for tourists looking to dive among marine life.
But this is not the first deadly shark attack to hit the region.
One tourist was mauled to death by a pregnant tiger shark in Egypt on June 9, 2023.
Vladimir Popov, 23, was dragged into the water and savaged by the 10ft-long beast in Hurghada, north of Marsa Alam.
He screamed “papa” as his father Yury Popov watched helplessly from the shore.
The beast was said to have torn his head off and separated body parts which were retrieved from the sea.
His father later met with Egyptian officials who agreed to release Vladimir’s remains so his family could hold a funeral in Russia.
FacebookDi Gioia pictured on holiday next to a horde of camels[/caption]
The incident happened off the coast of the Marsa Alam resort