Russia’s association of tour operators declared it cannot agree with the stance taken by Rospotrebnadzor: the consumer rights watchdog insists that the travel companies must give a 100% refund to tourists who decided to cancel their trips to Egypt, ITAR TASS reports.

Gennady Onischenko said Rospotrebnadzor would help the customers get their money back from the tour operators who are unwilling to reimburse the travelers who do not want to go Egypt because of the risk of a shark attack.

The association agrees the agency’s demand makes sense, but meeting it could lead to even greater losses and problems.

‘No tour operator is responsible for the sudden appearance of sharks in the Red Sea. We feel Rospotrebnadzor’s requirement could only be fulfilled when similar claims are laid against the suppliers of services which a tour is made up of,’ the association reports.