Pictured: EU official mauled to death by a shark at luxury Egyptian resort as brave pal reveals how he desperately tried to save victim only to be savaged himself

An EU official who was mauled to death by a shark at a luxury Egyptian resort after his friend desperately tried to save him from the beast has been pictured following the tragic incident.

Gianluca Di Gioia, 48, from Rome, had been snorkeling on a beach in front of the glamorous Red Sea Sataya Resort on the Marsa Alam coast before the attack.

The tourist, who worked at the European External Action Service, the European Union’s diplomatic service, was at sea with his friend Giuseppe Fappani, 69, as they celebrated Di Gioia’s recent birthday.

But the trip took a horrific turn when the pair were approached by a tiger shark in Egyptian waters while swimming just 50 meters from the beach in an area where tourists can access beyond the coral reef via the resort’s jetty.

Speak with Corriere Della SeraFappani’s wife recalled the brutal attack after helplessly watching it unfold from a nearby pier.

She said she saw her husband, who she calls Peppino, swimming towards Di Gioia in a desperate attempt to scare the shark away before it was bitten on his arms and legs.

In a stunning moment, Fappani reportedly managed to briefly push the beast away before it returned in anger.

From the shore, as soon as she saw the couple in danger, Di Gioia’s wife, Laurence, who was also watching in horror from the pier, “screamed for help and a rubber boat left the beach.”

Fappani’s wife said there was a brief glimmer of hope that the men would make it back to shore with non-life-threatening injuries as they rushed to swim back to the pier.

But only Fappani would have been able to reach the beach as Di Gioia was picked up by the predator’s jaws while his wife was left helpless from the pier.

The Italian tourist’s injuries to his arms and legs were so serious that it was not known whether he would survive the attack.

The pair were then rushed to a hospital in Port Ghalib, where Di Gioia tragically died, and Fappani has since been discharged.

The victim’s wife and son, who were also present at the resort, were placed in the custody of tour operator Alpitour and the Italian Embassy to receive the necessary support.

Egyptian authorities have now opened an investigation into the ‘abnormal’ incident, while the Ministry of Environment and the Red Sea Governorate have launched a series of investigations to reconstruct what happened.

The attack took place – according to the Quasir Public Prosecutor’s Office – ‘in deep waters outside the bathing area’, that is, beyond the coral reef, which should prevent or at least make it more difficult for sharks to access the area near the beach.

“Such incidents usually take place in spring or summer,” said one of the local authorities monitoring the case, highlighting the rarity of a shark attack this season.

Following the shocking incident, authorities closed the pier and stretch of sea where the EU diplomat was killed.

It is now also likely that Rome’s Public Prosecutor’s Office will also open an investigation, and according to Corriere Della Sera, Fappani could also be interrogated by the Carabinieri.

Originally from Rome, Di Gioia had lived in France for 12 years, where he worked for the EU’s European External Action Service (EEAS).

He had arrived in Marsa Alam on December 11 to celebrate his birthday – December 21 – with his wife and several relatives and friends.

According to local reports, he had planned to stay in Egypt until the New Year before the attack.

The Red Sea is a major tourist destination popular with divers thanks to its marine life, and Marsa Alam is an Egyptian coastal town known for its coral reefs and beaches.

Fatal shark attacks occur almost annually in Egypt’s Red Sea, where marine experts warn that unregulated construction, overfishing and irresponsible tourism practices are helping to change the ecosystem and shark behavior.

According to data collected by the Shark Research Institute, there have been four fatal shark attacks in the Red Sea in the past decade.

The last such incident occurred in June 2023, when a tiger shark killed a 23-year-old Russian in Hurghada, another Red Sea coastal city north of Marsa Alam.

Vladimir Popov, 23, was surrounded by the ‘meat grinder’ tiger shark before being dragged underwater, crying out: ‘Daddy, save me!’

Holidaymakers scrambled out of the water as shocked onlookers shouted for Vladimir to swim away from the shark before it was mauled to death.

The tiger shark was then captured and towed to land by boat before being clubbed to death on the beach ‘in revenge’.

Four people were also killed when a boat capsized in a separate incident in November. The ship got into trouble near Marsa Alam while carrying tourists on a diving trip.