British tourist severely injured in shark attack near Tobago beach

A British tourist was hospitalized with severe injuries after a shark attack on the Caribbean island of Tobago. The attack occurred just about 10 metres from the shore. Authorities closed seven beaches and a marine park along the northwest coast of the Caribbean island. The predator escaped before it could be captured.

The attack happened on Friday (April 26) in the morning GMT in Tobago near the Starfish Hotel in Courland Bay. Peter Smith, a 64-year-old Briton from Berkhamsted, suffered serious injuries to his arm, thigh, and abdomen. According to information provided by the authorities of Tobago, the shark was about 3 metres long.

The man was vacationing on the island with his wife and friends. It was the last day of their stay, and it turned out to be unfortunate. It was then Peter Smith - just before departure - decided to have one last swim and was attacked by the animal.

The man was standing in the waist-deep water and did not see the shark approaching from behind. The attack took place just about 10 metres from the shore. It was a bull shark, also known as a bull shark.

According to witness accounts, quoted by "The Sun", people on the beach tried to chase away the animal, which indeed swam away.

The man was immediately transported to the hospital. - The goal of our health service workers is now to stabilize the tourist's condition and ensure we can save his life and limbs - said Tobago parliament secretary Farley Augustine at a press conference.

Authorities closed seven beaches and all coastal areas between the town of Plymouth on the northern coast of the island and Store Bay. The Tobago Emergency Management Agency is surveying the coastline of these areas using drones.

Interestingly, a reward of £8,000 was also initially offered for catching the shark. However, - after a wave of criticism from ichthyologists and animal rights defenders - the offer was withdrawn.

According to the International Shark Attack File based in Florida, last year around the world, there were 69 unprovoked shark attacks and 22 provoked ones, as well as 14 fatalities.

However, the vast majority of shark attacks in the region occur further north, in the central Caribbean and along the eastern and southern coasts of the USA. Over the last 20 years, there have been only two shark attacks south of Tobago, and neither occurred within a distance of less than 300 miles from the island itself.