A BRAVE husband tried to save his wife as she was savaged by a 6ft shark which reportedly bit off both of her hands.
Witnesses claim the tourist rushed to save his partner from the predator as they swam off the coast of the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Atlantic.
GettyThe woman was in the shallows trying to take a picture of the animal (stock)[/caption]
The couple – understood to be Canadian – were holidaying on the islands with their family.
They are believed to have been only a few metres from the shoreline when the shark attack took place.
It was reported by local media she lost both of her hands and a chunk of her thigh in the horrifying incident.
It is believed – but not confirmed – that the shark was a bull shark, a species known for attacks on humans.
The 55-year-old had been in the shallows and “attempted to engage” with the animal and take a picture of it, according to local authorities.
And then the large predator turned on her in the vicious attack.
Local officials said that it was around six-foot in length and continued circling in the shallows after the attack.
Emergency services found the woman’s family huddled around her and trying to stem the blood flow from her catastrophic injuries.
Distressing images show their desperate attempts to perform life-saving measures with any towels and materials available.
“I was there for 40 minutes and it was still lingering,” one witness told Magnetic Media.
“That shark bite victim lost both her hands and some forearms. Her husband tried to fight it off.”
A witness claimed the woman managed to hobble to the safety of the beach despite her injuries which included a bite to her upper left leg.
Royal TCI Police said in a statement: “At 10:33 am on Feb 7 the Police Control Room of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force received a report that a female visitor had been injured while swimming.
“Medical personnel and the police were dispatched to the given location in Blue Hills, Providenciales.
“The 55-year-old victim was brought ashore and rushed to the Cheshire Hall Medical Center for Treatment.”
She was later transported off the island for further medical care.
It has been reported that one of her hands was amputated at the wrist and the other half-way down her forearm.
Her family huddled around her and trying to stem the blood flow from her catastrophic injuries
She is expected to survive the ordeal despite her life-changing injuries.
The waters around the islands are home to numerous types of sharkes including grey reef sharks, nurse sharks, tiger sharks and bull sharks.
The beach was closed by DECR from Thompson’s Cove Beach to Froggies ATV, Blue Hills until 1 pm on Sunday when it was deemed safe.
The DECR warned the public to continue to be aware of their surroundings and to respect marine wildlife.
It reminded swimmers to only be in designated zones, avoid murky water, never swim alone, and to never try to feed marine wildlife.
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