A British tourist is in intensive care after being attacked by a shark in Trinidad and Tobago. Friday's incident near the Starfish Hotel in Courland Bay prompted the government to close seven beaches and a marine park along the Caribbean island's northwest coast. The bull shark, according to the Tobago House of Assembly, was 8-10 meters long and two meters wide. Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said the victim was a 64-year-old Briton, adding that he was in a "stable" condition but had suffered serious injuries to his arm, thigh and stomach. A local official named him as Peter Smith, from Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire.
"There were some reattachments, for example of the fingers, and hopefully this will save those fingers," Augustine told a news conference. "We know there are significant wounds on one of his legs that cannot be fully closed. The task at this time for our health professionals is really to stabilize and ensure that we can save lives and as many limbs as possible." A $10 reward was initially offered to anyone who could catch A water sports manager at a beach hotel, who witnessed the incident, said the man was waist-deep in water when the shark attacked him turned their backs and did not see the approaching shark.
