British tourist in ‘intensive care’ after shark attack off Caribbean Island

A British man is in a serious condition in hospital after being attacked by a shark close to the shoreline of a Caribbean island.

The man, identified by local officials as Peter Smith, 64, of Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire sustained injuries to his left hand, left thigh, and stomach following the encounter just 10 metres off the shore near the Starfish Hotel in Courland Bay, on the north coast of Tobago on Friday morning.

According to The Daily Telegraph the man lost both his arm and his leg in the attack.

Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said the man was “doing well” but was being kept under sedation at Scarborough General Hospital. Mr Augustine added that “some reattachments were done, of fingers for example, and hopefully that will save those fingers.”

Mr Augustine said: “We know that there’s significant wounds on one of his legs that cannot be completely closed, but he will require extensive work.

“The task at this time for our health professionals is really to stabilise and ensure that we can save life and limb as much as possible.”

Several beaches and coastal areas were closed with Tobago’s tourism division saying the attack was “unusual and unfortunate” before the beach was closed.

Mr Augustine added that the local government was working closely with the British High Commission. The man had been holidaying on the island with his wife and friends and had been due to fly home that day.

A bounty $10,000 (£1,179) bounty placed on the shark’s head, offered to anyone who could capture it was then later retracted.

Drones were being used to surveil the area with all reef tours in the area suspended.

An eye witness to the attack, Orion Jakerov, a water sports manager at the nearby Starfish hotel said beachgoers had tried to fight the shark off during the incident.

Jakerov told the local broadcaster TTT Live: “I don’t think they saw it. They were about waist height in the water so they weren’t out of their depth. I think their backs were turned and they were just kind of lounging around. Nobody saw the shark coming.

“Even while the shark was around and doing the attack, the other people were in the water and physically trying to fight off the shark.”

Tobago House of Assembly’s emergencies agencies had responded to the attack by closing Turtle Beach, where the attack took place, until further notice, and advised that beaches on the island’s west coast be closed until further notice.

The division said: “This is a very unusual occurrence as Tobago is renowned for its safe and beautiful beaches.

“The division would also like to reassure the public that the safety of our visitors is a priority and all expertise are being engaged to ensure safety and manage this situation as best as possible.”

Last year, there were 69 unprovoked attacks and 22 provoked bites worldwide, along with 14 fatalities, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.