A tourist has been savagely attacked by a shark off a Caribbean beach, with reports that the victim lost both her hands as her husband tried to fight the beast off.
The woman, believed to be a Canadian national, had been enjoying a holiday to the Turks and Caicos islands when the bloody attack happened last Friday.
She was just a few yards from the shore when the predator struck, according to local media.
The 55-year-old had been wading in the shallows as she ‘attempted to engage’ with the animal and take a picture of it, local authorities said.
Witnesses said the woman’s family were nearby at the time and that her husband had bravely tried to stop the shark from biting her again.
Harrowing pictures show how a crowd gathered around the injured woman after she made it back to the beach, with cloths being held onto her arms as they apparently tried to stem the bleeding.
The shark was estimated to be around 6ft in length, the local government said, adding that the species is not yet known. Unconfirmed reports online have suggested it was a bull shark.
Meanwhile eerie footage taken by a tourist at a beachside villa show a shark thrashing about in the shallow waters nearby.
Shocking pictures show people who appear to be the woman’s family helping to stem the blood flow as she lies injured on the beach
