Missing tourist presumed 'eaten by shark' after his hand with wedding ring is found inside shark's belly
A British tourist who had gone missing over the weekend was very likely eaten by a shark. The tourist's severed hand was found inside the shark.
The British national, 44, who hails from Scotland was swimming off the holiday French island of Reunion near Madagascar when he vanished. As reported by Daily Mail, an investigating source shared, "The tourist and his wife were spending a week on the island and he had gone out swimming in the Hermitage Lagoon, off Saint-Gilles, alone on Saturday".
"When he did not get back, his wife sounded the alarm, and a full search was launched, involving boats and a helicopter. Divers searched around a coral reef in the area, and there were also patrols on land involving sniffer dogs. Sadly, the man could not be found," the source continued.
This week, a shark was spotted swimming nearby tourist beaches and was killed as he was considered to be a threat to tourists. When autopsies were carried out on the shark and four other fish, a severed hand was recovered wearing a wedding ring. According to a police source, the man had been described by his family as a "strong swimmer".
The source further added that his wife "did not see him going out of the sea after he went off for his swim". "It is feared that the hand belonged to a tourist who was reported missing on Saturday afternoon by his wife," the source continued. It is possible that the man drowned with his corpse attracting the fish.
DNA tests are yet to be carried out on the severed hand. However, scientists from the CSR Shark Safety Centre on Reunion shared that the wedding ring on the hand was identified by the man's wife.
There are normally frequent shark attacks around Reunion which is 500 miles from Madagascar. Tiger Sharks place second after Great White Sharks when it comes to attacking humans. Swimming and other water-related activities are restricted because of the risk of attacks.
