A British tourist has been injured and taken to hospital after he was attacked by a shark in Trinidad and Tobago.
The bull shark attacked the 64-year-old man while he was bathing at Turtle Beach along Great Courland Bay this morning at 9.15am.
The man has been admitted to intensive care and the government has closed down several beaches and a marine park.
The closures are to allow the coast guard and department of fisheries to investigate the incident and ‘neutralise the shark threat, if possible’.
THA chief secretary Farley Augustine said: ‘Unfortunately, a visitor to the island was attacked by a shark earlier this morning in the vicinity of the Starfish Hotel.
‘Consequently, out of an abundance of caution (for the remaining portions of today), we are forced to temporarily close beaches: Plymouth, Courland Bay, Black Rock, Mt. Irvine, Buccoo, Pigeon Point, Store Bay and all coastal areas in between.’
He confirmed that the shark was eight to 10 feet in length and two feet in width.
Mr Augustine also said the man’s left hand was severed from the elbow down, his left thigh was severed and he received lacerations to his stomach.
He continued: ‘Currently, we are doing drone reconnaissance/surveillance, coast guard surveillance, and the department of fisheries is combing the area to ensure safety.’
Shark sightings had been reported by the government in the Grafton area and the Buccoo Reef Marine Park.
But shark attacks are still rare with 69 unprovoked attacks and 22 provoked bites worldwide, along with 14 fatalities, according to the International Shark Attack File.
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