06 January 2024 , 15:00
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A shark spotted in the waters of a Caribbean shoreline has caused panic as tourists flee the sea at a spot known for attacks.
Just last year an Italian tourist was killed in a shark attack on the San Andres island, where the recent sighting was made. The horror discovery prompted mass evacuation of the waters with Caribbean holidaymakers taking no chances with the ocean-going predator.
Video footage of the horror beach experience was uploaded to social media, showing members of the evacuate the waters. One man was seen striding out of the shark-infested depths with a toddler in his arms as women began screaming next to him.
The shark prompted members of the public to evacuate the waters (Twitter)The packed shoreline managed to get a fair distance away from the shark, which lingered in the shallow waters before going on the attack elsewhere. The hammerhead shark was later revealed to have taken out a manta ray in the nearby area. A tourist worker on a jet ski found himself in hot water when he was seen trying to approach the shark while locals and holidaymakers watched from a safe distance on shore.
His actions were criticised by sustainable development organisation Coralina, with a representative saying the tourist should have left the shark well alone. A statement from the group read: "They are hammerhead sharks hunting manta rays, they're part of their diet. Humans are not part of the diet of sharks and even less so with this type of shark, so what people need to do is be careful. Sharks are a fundamental part of trophic networks."
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Marine biologist expert Sandra Escobar later added: "The important thing is that these incidents not lead to people attacking sharks and regarding them as enemies." Their comments come a year after the tragic death of Antonio Roseto Degli Abruzzi, 56, who lost their life when a shark took a chunk out of his right thigh. The eight-foot beast left Abruzzi bleeding out of his wound, with hospital staff attempting to save his life when he went into hypovolemic shock and died due to the severe blood loss.