Husband tried to ‘wrestle’ 7ft shark that bit his wife’s hands off
The family of a Canadian woman who lost both her hands in a vicious shark attack on holiday have shared how the attack unfolded.
The victim, named as 55-year-old Nathalie Ross, was wading in waist-deep waters in Turks and Caicos when what’s believed to be a seven-foot bull shark brushed against her leg, before biting her thigh.
The woman’s husband said: ‘Not satisfied, the shark came back again and when she put both hands in front of her to protect herself, the shark cut off both of her hands, one at mid-forearm and the other at the wrist.’
Seeing the attack, her husband jumped into action and put himself between his wife and the shark, helping her to shore before she ‘collapsed’.
The woman had both of her hands amputated – one at the wrist and the other partway up her forearm. Her thigh is expected to heal.
She was attacked in Thompson’s Cove Beach around 10.30 am on Friday, in the popular resort town of Providenciales.
‘The shark was estimated to be approximately 6ft in length, however, the species is yet to be confirmed,’ the Turks & Caicos Islands Government said in a statement.
Footage has since been shared of a shark thrashing about in the water near where the attack happened.
The waters around the Turks and Caicos Islands are home to a variety of shark species, including tiger sharks, bull sharks, hammerhead sharks and reef sharks, according to Visit Turks & Caicos Islands.
Earlier this month a teenage girl was killed by a shark near Brisbane in Australia.
Charlize Zmuda, 17, was swimming off Woorim Beach on Bribie Island, Queensland when she was killed.
It was the second fatal shark attack in Australia this year, after Lance Appleby, 28, was killed while surfing off Granites Beach in South Australia.
Researchers may have found the secret weapon to prevent beachgoers from shark attacks swimming in the ocean alongside the predators all along.
Last year, 47 people were attacked by sharks, according to the International Shark File.
Soon, beachgoers and surfers could avoid the fear of a bite altogether – thanks to a surprising discovery in shark bite prevention.
Researchers from University College Dublin and Florida Atlantic University found that cuttlefish ink works as a ‘chemical repellant’ for the beasts.
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