Woman Loses Both Hands After Trying to Take Selfie With Shark
A Canadian tourist had both her hands bitten off by a shark as she attempted to take a selfie with the animal.
The 55-year-old woman lost both her hands after trying to take a picture with the shark while on vacation at Thompson Cove Beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands on February 7.
The woman, who is believed to be Canadian, had been wading in the shallow end of the water just a few yards from the shore when she spotted the shark.
According to a press release shared by the Turks and Caicos Island Government, the woman then tried “to engage with” the shark in an attempt to capture a selfie with the animal. However, the shark attacked her.
The New Zealand Herald reports that the woman’s family were nearby at the time and that her husband tried to stop the shark from biting her again.
In photos circulating online, other beachgoers can be seen gathering around the woman and using their clothes to stem the bleeding.
The woman was then taken to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre in Turks and Caicos Islands where she was stabilized. The woman reportedly had one of her arms amputated below the wrist and the other halfway up her forearm. She has since returned to Canada for further medical care.
The species is not confirmed but The New Zealand Herald says local reports suggest it was a bull shark. It is understood that the shark had been swimming in the area for around 40 minutes before striking.
“The shark was estimated to be approximately 6 feet in length. However, the species is yet to be confirmed,” the Turks and Caicos Island Government says in the press release.
“It has been determined that the tourist had attempted to engage with the animal from the shallows in an attempt to take photographs.”
Image credits: Header photo by Albert Kok/Wikimedia Commons.
