British tourist, 44, 'eaten by shark' off Reunion island as severed hand with wedding ring is found inside predator
7 November 2019, 11:22 | Updated: 7 November 2019, 14:52
The Scotsman has been reported missing by his wife after he disappeared on their holiday.
It is feared that a British holidaymaker was eaten by a shark while on holiday, after a severed hand with a wedding ring on has been found inside the beast over the weekend.
The unnamed Scottish male, 44, was on the French island of Reunion, which is near Madagascar, when he went missing while snorkelling off the coast.
Forensics have found his hand with a wedding ring on inside a shark's stomach after they carried out autopsies on the killed fish.
A tiger shark was killed as it had been swimming near tourist beaches and was considered a threat.
An investigating source revealed to The Sun: "It is feared that the hand belonged to a tourist who was reported missing on Saturday afternoon by his wife.
"The tourist and his wife were spending a week on the island and he had gone out swimming in the Hermitage Lagoon, off Saint-Gilles, alone on Saturday.
"When he did not get back, his wife sounded the alarm, and a full search was launched, involving boats and a helicopter."Divers searched around a coral reef in the area, and there were also patrols on land involving sniffer dogs. Sadly, the man could not be found."
A Foreign Office spokesperson told the Sun Online this morning: “We are providing support to the family of a British man who died while snorkelling in La Réunion and are in contact with the local authorities.”
A police source on Reunion also revealed to the publication that the man had been described by his family as a "strong swimmer".
Tiger sharks are deadly predators with jaws so powerful they can crack shells of sea turtles, and can grow to as much as 20 to 25 feet in length.
They come a close second to the Great White sharks for attacks on humans.
