User:Mushuwu158
| Date | 19 – 22 October 1998 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 83 Hours (from first confirmed sighting to official time of animal's death) |
| Location | New York City, New York |
| Deaths | 1,863 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 3,000–12,000 |
| Missing | 153 |
| Property damage | $23 billion USD |
The 1998 New York Incident was a series of attacks on multiple boroughs of New York City by the first recorded incipient member of the ''Jira tatoupolous'' (often anglicized as "Zilla") species. The entire incident ran over 3 days from first recorded sighting to confirmed kill of the animal. The creature was killed by direct hits from 12 AIM-7 Sparrow missiles fired from three F/A-18 fighters of the 108th Attack Squadron. Based on Strontium-90 isotopes found on skin and blood samples gathered at multiple sites, the creature is believed to be the same individual responsible for the sinking of the Daigo Fukuryū Maru cannery vessel in the South China Sea and the unexplained footprints that appeared in the Caribbean weeks later.
In response to the attacks, beaches in the popular tourist resort were closed for over a week, dozens of suspected “aggressive” sharks were caught and killed, and the local government issued new rules, regarding the banning of shark-feeding and restrictions on swimming. A variety of theories were put-forward to explain the attacks, including overfishing in the Red Sea, causing increased hunger and aggression in the sharks, as well as the illegal, intentional or inadvertent feeding of fish close to shore (which produces scents that attract sharks). Another theory considers the dumping of sheep carcasses in the Red Sea by a livestock transport (during the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha) that may have attracted the sharks closer to shore.
Attacks
[edit]The first attacks occurred on 1 December, when four people were attacked within minutes of each other in the Ra's Nasrani area. 48-year-old Olga Martsinko suffered wounds to her hands and legs, lower back and buttock[citation needed] while 70-year-old Lyudmila Stolyarova lost her right hand and left leg. Both had to have their injured limbs partly amputated. A 54-year-old Russian man named Yevgeniy Trishkin suffered serious leg wounds, requiring a partial amputation, while 46-year-old Ukrainian Viktor Koliy also suffered leg injuries but was well enough to leave hospital the following day.[1][2][3]
- ^ "Russian tourists lose arms and legs in shark attack in Egypt". Pravda, 3 December 2010
- ^ "Russians injured by sharks in stable condition". ITAR-TASS, 3 December 2010
- ^ "Ukrainian attacked by shark in Egypt discharged from hospital". Kyiv Post, 2 December 2010