A tourist in a popular holiday destination loved by Brits was rushed to hospital after being attacked by a large eel on the beach. Visitors on Red Sea holiday beaches have been warned after an attack by a vicious moray eel left a Russian holidaymaker with an agonising bite on his leg. The incident took place at the Egyptian resort Hurghada, as video footage shows a hotel worker desperately trying to capture the sea animal.

The tourist was near the shoreline at plush Beach Albatros Hotel when the attack came, say reports. The victim's condition has not been reported since he was taken to hospital. Such aggression from a giant moray eel is seen as exceptionally unusual, according to reports. The open-mouthed creatures with sharp teeth normally inhabit holes in coral reefs or wreck sites - not popular beaches where tourists are enjoying Egypt's offerings.

The eels - which can be between 5ft and 10ft in length - are shy and usually only attack when provoked. Many divers and snorkelers routinely swim past them without incident.

After the painful attack on the Russian tourist, footage shows how hotel workers struggled to capture the thrashing eel in a plastic bag as tourists crowded around on the shores of the beach.

Reports say it was later released into the sea far from tourist beaches.

Moray eel bites are known to be extremely painful, often leaving ragged wounds. In some cases, toxins present in the eel's blood can cause severe inflammation, abscesses and ulcers if they enter the wound.

Egypt has seen an influx in foreign tourism in recent years. Pedro Fiol, the president of Aviba, the Association of Balearic Travel Agents, said the African country has emerged as a top choice for people wanting "an exciting experience".

Egypt, Tunisia, and Malta have all been experiencing year-on-year booking increases, according to Advantage Travel Partnership, as tourist figures fall in previous hotspots such as Majorca.

He said: "From a Majorcan point of view, I have local clients going to Egypt, Senegal, China, Thailand or the Dominican Republic, for example. They're not worried about the domestic political problems, they want an exciting experience for a holiday.

"And I think that the official silence has been because the powers that be think that by letting anything go, everybody's going to be happy. Well they're not and we're worried about the future."