Missing British tourist eaten by a shark near Madagascar: Reports

A British tourist who reportedly went missing while snorkelling off the French island of Reunion, near Madagascar is believed to be eaten by a Tiger Shark as a severed hand and forearm found in the stomach of the giant fish was identified by wife through the wedding ring. The victim identified as civil servant Richard Martyn Turner from Edinburgh was on a luxury trip to celebrate his wife's 40th birthday and was snorkeling by himself where four sharks were later caught. Turner had been missing since November 02. It is however still not known whether he drowned and was subsequently eaten by the shark or had been attacked by one. 

The French department island is 600 miles east of Madagascar and is a popular surfing destination. It is also described by the locals as 'safe' for swimmers, however, the threat posed by sharks led to a partial ban on surfing and swimming back in 2013. Last month the French President Emmanuel Macron said that he would reintroduce sea water sports by 2022 but first wanted to be sure that it would be safe. He further added that his government was doing everything possible to deal with the shark crisis. 

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British tourists bitten by a shark

Last month, two British tourists were bitten by a shark at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The giant fish mauled one's foot and another's leg while they were on a snorkeling tour in the Whitsunday Islands when the incident took place. Paramedics treated both the men aged, 22 and 28 and were also taken to the hospital in Mackay in serious but stable conditions. However, the 28-year-old lost his foot. Another incident took place in Australia when a man was killed by a shark. 

“An English tourist has had his foot bitten off and another has serious lacerations to his lower leg after a shark attack in the Whitsundays today,” the helicopter rescue service said in a statement. The victims told the helicopter crew “they were wrestling and thrashing about in the water” in a passage between Hayman and Whitsunday Islands when they were attacked, the statement said.

(With AP inputs)

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