Holidaymaker, 56, mauled to death in terrifying Caribbean shark attack
21 March 2022, 11:14 | Updated: 21 March 2022, 11:30
A 56-year-old holidaymaker has been mauled to death by an eight-foot tiger shark while visiting the Caribbean.
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The man, named locally as Antonio Roseto Degli Abruzzi, died from blood loss after being bitten by the shark while out snorkelling on the coast of San Andres in La Piscinita.
He is believed to have had a chunk torn from his thigh while out swimming on March 18.
Graphic images shared from after the attack showed the man sprawled on the beach after being rescued by another person in the area.
People were also seen carrying him away bleeding heavily.
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#18Marzo #Tiburon #SanAndres l 🔴
— NOTICIAS RPTV (@NoticiasRPTV) March 19, 2022
¡ATERRADOR! #VIdeo l Un turista italiano murió por el ataque de un tiburón cuando nadaba en playas de San Andrés, #Colombia.⬇️ pic.twitter.com/wukPRvoA5X
The attack is the first of its kind recorded on the Caribbean island, it has been reported.
A government spokesman said: "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."
The attack was blamed on a tiger shark, which is second to the great white shark in recorded fatal incidents involving humans. However, they are still extremely rare.
A clip shared online showed the two sharks thought to have been responsible for the attack continuing to swim around in the area afterwards.
The National Geographic explained that "because [tiger sharks] have a near completely undiscerning palate, they are not likely to swim away after biting a human, as great whites frequently do".
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."
