POLICE ISSUES WARNING AFTER TOURISTS GETS BOTH HANDS BITTEN OFF BY SHARK

A woman on a once-in-a-lifetime Caribbean vacation lost both of her hands after attempting to "engage" with a shark. On a beach on Providenciales, the main island in the Turks and Caicos archipelago, the tourist tried to take a photo of the apex predator, which is thought to be between six and nine feet long, but the animal retaliated against the vacationer in hip-deep water.

The incident took place on Friday last week (February 7), at the eastern end of Blue Hills Beach near Da Conch Shack and Thompson's Cove Beach - with the culprit understood to be either a bull shark or tiger shark, according to Visit Turks and Caicos Islands.

Since then, the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands has alerted visitors to the risks present in the pristine waters. The following statement was released by the Department of Environment & Coastal Resources Authorities: "A shark injured a visitor in the waters near Blue Hills, Providenciales, on Friday, February 7. After being stabilized at Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, the patient was flown off-island for additional medical attention.

"The Department of Environment & Coastal Resources (DECR) issued a beach closure notice from Thompson's Cove Beach to Froggies ATV, Blue Hills, out of caution after the incident was confirmed. After it was established that the shark had relocated to deeper water, the beach was reopened on Sunday, February 9th at 1 pm. It went on: "The shark's length was estimated to be around 6 feet, but the species has not yet been verified. "The tourist had tried to interact with the animal from the shallows in an effort to take pictures, according to the results of the investigation."

"The public is urged by the DECR to respect marine life, always be mindful of your surroundings, and heed local advisories. Never swim alone, stay in designated areas, stay away from murky waters, and never try to feed marine life. Since 2020, there have been four documented shark attacks in Turks and Caicos, including the one that occurred this month. The first occurred in September 2021 when a male tourist was bitten on the wrist by a seven-foot tiger or lemon shark, and the second occurred in May 2023, nearly two years later, when a 22-year-old vacationer lost his foot.

In May last year, a male resident was attacked while snorkelling, with the bite being so severe that it resulted in amputation of his leg above his knee.