27 April 2024 , 08:41
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The tourist, a 64-year-old British man, is now in intensive care after sustaining injuries to his left hand, left thigh and stomach while swimming near the Starfish Hotel in Tobago
A British tourist is tonight in intensive care after being attacked by a shark while swimming off Tobago.
The 64-year-old tourist sustained injuries to his left hand, left thigh, and stomach yesterday morning after venturing into the water near the Caribbean Island’s Starfish Hotel.
He was attacked by a bull shark approximately 10 meters away from the shore. Witness believe the predator was up to ten feet in length and two feet in width. The injuries inflicted included severing his left hand from the elbow down, severing his left thigh, and resulting in a laceration to his stomach.
Last night he was receiving critical care at the Scarborough General Hospital. In a social media post, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said he spoke with the British High Commissioner and the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard is closely monitoring the area.
As a precautionary measure, the public has been advised that Turtle Beach/Courland Bay is temporarily closed off, and all bathing or beach activities in the area are strictly prohibited at this time.
Witnesses said the victim was only in waist-deep water when he attacked. Others close by tried to chase off the shark. Witness Stephanie Wright, from West Sussex, said: “We saw some people on the beach, and I originally thought the gentleman had had a cardiac arrest, and I thought they were helping him. And then I saw someone running down with a towel, and then I saw a dorsal fin come out of the water and thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s a shark.’
As it turned, I saw the tail come out as well. As it swam off.”
The government said in a statement that shark sightings were reported in the Grafton area and the Buccoo Reef Marine Park. Officials said the closures will allow the Coast Guard and Department of Fisheries to investigate the incident and “neutralise the shark threat, if possible.”
Shark attacks are rare. Last year, there were 69 unprovoked attacks, and 22 provoked bites worldwide, along with 14 fatalities, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.