A shark has bitten off a 35 – year-old swimmer’s hands and breast in a vicious attack in French Polynesia.
The tourist was swimming in a lagoon off the South Pacific island of Mo’orea on Monday local time when the shark began mauling her as she swam with dolphins.
Reports say the woman’s family, including her six-year-old son, witnessed the harrowing attack.
Radio 1reports her family and son witnessed the attack.
One witness told the station the victim was conscious and talking despite a gaping torso wound and her arms dangled from her body.
Reports say firefighters and a nurse at a hotel onshore were able to administer first aid to the injured woman, before she was airlifted to the nearby island of Tahiti for treatment.
According to news siteFrance Infothe shark was an oceanic whitetip, known as ‘parata’ locally.
Her condition is reportedly stable.
Ocean explorer and conservationist Jacques Cousteau describe the oceanic whitetip as “the most dangerous of all sharks.”
The species is believed to be responsible for many deadly attacks at sea- notorious for preying on survivors from shipwrecks and downed Aircraft.
However attacks in the waters around Mo’orea are relatively rare.
According to the International Shark Attack Files, the number of shark attacks worldwide remains extraordinarily low – averaging around six unprovoked fatal attacks annually – considering the number of humans who take to the waters every year.
Read More
Top news stories from Mirror Online
By contrast fisheries kill around 100 million sharks annually and the global shark population is facing sharp decline as a consequence of over-fishing and habitat loss.
However the island of La Reunion in the French Indian Ocean has become notorious for shark attacks, with 31 attacks since 2011 including 11 fatalities.
Two men have died this year in the waters off the coastline of the island, which has banned swimming at some if its beaches and surf spots.
(A) -year-old surfer killed in Maywas paddling in an area where surfing was heavily restricted by Reunion authorities due to the risks of attack.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings