After the death of the Russian tourist in a shark attack on a beach in Hurghada, Egypt last Thursday, a video clip circulated on social media. However, research into the origin of the video showed that it was taken many years before the accident.
The False Video
- The video shows a young man dancing alongside a belly dancer to popular Egyptian music.
- The video was said to show the young man at a dance party prior to the accident.
- The clip was taken many years before the accident.
- The young man was a child at the time the video was taken.
- The accompanying comments stated that the video shows the Russian youth who died in a shark attack off the coast of Hurghada, prior to the accident.
- The video received hundreds of shares and thousands of views on social media.
The Accurate Information
- The victim was identified as “V.I. Popov,” born in 1999, and that he was not a tourist but a permanent resident of Egypt.
- The victim was not in his thirties as initially reported.
- The tiger shark was reported as the cause of the attack by the Egyptian authorities.
The Fact About The Video
- The video was not recent as publications on social media claimed.
- The video was published at least 9 years ago.
- The video was widely spread at the time and shows a Russian tourist performing belly dancing in Egypt.
- The title of the video published in April 2014 was “A Russian tourist explains to an oriental girl how to dance.”
In summary, the circulating video of the Russian young man who was devoured by a shark turned out to be incorrect and was misused to create a misleading narrative. It’s important to verify the accuracy of information before sharing it on social media.
