British tourist loses hand and leg in shark attack while swimming in Caribbean waters: ‘Lucky to be alive’

April 28, 2024 by No Comments

A British tourist lost his arm and leg after being mauled by a bull shark in the southeastern Caribbean island of Tobago. According to Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, Peter Smith was in waist-deep water when the attack occurred near the Starfish Resort in Courland Bay, a popular tourist destination in Tobago. Augustine said the shark was approximately 8 to 10 feet long, and 2 feet wide. “He’s lucky to be alive,” fellow tourist Stephanie Wright told The Mirror. “I saw a dorsal fin come out of the water and thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s a shark.’” Augustine said that the attack happened just 30 feet from the shore on Friday, April 26, at 9:15 a.m. The tourist was hospitalized in an intensive care unit following the attack. He said the victim’s left hand had been severed from the elbow down, his left thigh was also severed, and he also received lacerations to his stomach. Photos from the Chief Secretary’s office showed graphic images of Smith’s wounds along his body. The Chief Secretary said that he had spoken to the British High Commissioner and the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and the agencies were closely monitoring the area. “Currently, we are doing drone reconnaissance/surveillance, aerial surveillance, and the Department of Fisheries is combing the area to ensure safety,” Augustine said. Shark attacks are rare. 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.