(Dan Tri) - A 55-year-old Canadian female tourist had both her arms bitten off by a shark just a few meters from shore on the Turks and Caicos Islands (Caribbean).
A 55-year-old Canadian tourist is said to have tried to get close to take a photo when the shark appeared near the shore of Thompson's Cove in the Turks and Caicos Islands (in the Caribbean Sea) on February 7, Euro Weekly News reported.
Witnesses on the beach said the shark hovered near the shore for about 40 minutes before attacking the victim.
After seeing his wife being attacked by a shark, her husband immediately rushed to chase her away, but the shark had already bitten off the victim's arm.
The victim was then brought to shore. Many people on the beach ran to give first aid, trying to stop the bleeding.
Images taken by people at the scene show the woman lying on the ground, surrounded by many people trying to stop the bleeding.
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force confirmed: "We received a report of a female tourist injured while swimming at 10:30am on 7 February.
Paramedics and police were immediately dispatched to the scene in the Blue Hills area of Providenciales. The 55-year-old victim was brought to shore and quickly transferred to Cheshire Hall Medical Center for treatment."
According to police, the victim was airlifted to hospital and survived. Authorities said one of her hands was amputated at the wrist, while the other hand was missing from the mid-forearm down. She is currently receiving treatment in Canada.
A beach in Turks and Caicos (Photo: turksandcaicostourism.com)
Following the attack, the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) issued a warning: "People are advised not to enter the water until it is safe to do so from DECR."
The beach was closed for two days to ensure the shark moved to deeper water.
DECR then went on to advise: "Stay safe while swimming! Always be aware of your surroundings, follow local guidelines and respect marine life. Swim only in designated areas, avoid murky waters and do not swim alone."
The Turks and Caicos Islands government added: "The shark is estimated to be approximately 1.8m long. Through investigation, we determined that the female tourist attempted to approach the animal from shallow water to take a photo."
This is the fourth shark attack since 2021, according to the islands' tourism agency.
Officials have also offered a number of theories to explain the phenomenon: "There are significantly more swimmers in Turks and Caicos than in the past. It is possible that overfishing is disrupting the natural food chain of the marine ecosystem."
Authorities have yet to identify the species of shark responsible for the attack. Many experts predict it could be a bull shark (Illustration: Shutter Stock).
Last November, the Cayman Islands - in the western Caribbean, about 1,000km southwest of Turks and Caicos - issued a warning: "Shark feeding has been banned in Cayman waters since 2002 due to the risk of injury to both divers and sharks.
"Training sharks to take food from divers only increases the risk of harm to both humans and sharks."
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/co-chup-anh-tu-suong-cung-ca-map-nu-du-khach-bi-mat-2-tay-20250216121813735.htm
Comment (0)