British tourist attacked by shark off Caribbean beach is ‘aware and able to communicate’
29 April 2024, 09:24
A British tourist who was left seriously injured following a shark attack in the south-eastern Caribbean is “aware of what is happening and can communicate”.
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Peter Smith, 64, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire was rushed to hospital and admitted to an intensive care unit following the attack in Tobago on Friday morning, according to officials.
The full extent of his injuries is unclear. Tobago's chief secretary Farley Augustine said Mr Smith's "left hand was severed from the elbow down" and "left thigh [was] severed".
He was in a “stable” condition in Scarborough General Hospital in Tobago on Sunday after undergoing surgery.
In an update from his wife on Sunday, Mrs Smith said: “As of 09:00 local time today, Peter is aware of what is happening and is able to communicate a little, although he is still under strong medication”.
She also thanked two friends who remained in the water to “battle the shark”, as well as those who assisted the scene.
It comes after an eyewitness reported that other people in the water were “physically trying to fight off the shark”.
Orion Jakerov, water sports manager at the nearby Starfish resort, told TTT live: “I don't think they saw it. They were about waist height in the water so they weren't out of their depth.
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“I think their backs were turned and they were just kind of lounging around. Nobody saw the shark coming."
The bull shark that attacked Mr Smith was about eight to 10 feet long and two feet wide, Mr Augustine said.
The attack occurred at Turtle Beach along Great Courland Bay.
Mr Smith had reportedly ventured into the water near the island’s Starfish Hotel.
The couple had been holidaying on the island and were due to fly home with friends that day.
The Foreign Office said it was supporting the family.
Last year, there were 69 unprovoked attacks and 22 provoked bites worldwide, along with 14 fatalities, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.
