Tiger shark mauls tourist to death in Caribbean after eight-foot predator bites leg

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A 56-year-old man has died after being attacked by a shark on the Colombian island of San Andres.

Antonio Straccialini, an Italian tourist from Roseto Degli Abruzzi, lost a large chunk of his right thigh after being bitten by an eight-foot tiger shark as he swam in a popular snorkelling area on the island called La Piscinita.

Images circulated on social media and by local press showed Mr Abruzzi lying on his back after the attack with blood dripping from his wound before he was taken to hospital.

He then reportedly went into hypovolemic shock, due to the amount of blood he lost, before dying.

The shark attack, which took place on Friday, is said to be La Piscinita’s first. The area is filled with hotels and diving centres, and is regarded as one of the best places to snorkel on the island.

An island government spokesman said of the incident: “There are diving programmes with professionals in which sharks pass nearby, but nothing has ever happened.”

Diving instructor Mirla Zambrano, 50, added: “We are all very surprised. It’s the first time a shark has attacked a tourist in San Andres.”

Tiger sharks are second only to the great white in recorded fatal attacks on humans, although they are still exceedingly rare.

According to National Geographic, tiger sharks are between 10 and 14 feet in length and weigh between 385 and 635kg.

“Tiger sharks are named for the dark, vertical stripes found mainly on juveniles … these large, blunt-nosed predators have a duly earned reputation as man-eaters,” the magazine writes.

“But because they have a near completely undiscerning palate, they are not likely to swim away after biting a human, as great whites frequently do.”

Footage circulating on social media showed the two sharks thought to have been involved in Friday’s attack swimming in the transparent water where the Italian holidaymaker was killed.

Marine biologist Rodrigo Lopez told reporters: “People are very worried about what’s happened and they’re not letting people go into the water.

“A witness said the man who was attacked was a good swimmer and had been in the sea for quite a while and when he went further out a second time after coming back towards the shore, began to shout out for help and was surrounded by blood.”

Mauricio Valdonado, who risked his own life swimming out to bring the tourist back to shore, added: “He was on his own.”

La Piscinita, which means Little Swimming Pool in English, gets its name from the calm water and the rock formation which makes it look like a natural pool locked in cliffs.