Tourists fled in terror after an 85-year-old swimmer was bitten by a sea creature, which then disappeared into the deep blue sea.
A huge chunk of skin was torn off the leg of the Italian pensioner as lifeguards ordered people out of the sea at the British holiday hotspot of Majorca on Tuesday.
Lifeguards hoisted the red flag as they warned tourists over a loudspeaker: ‘Swimming is forbidden in the area for a shark attack, shark attack.’
The sea creature has not been officially identified after the beast fled pursued by lifeguards on jet-skis.
The victim staggered out of the sea in Playa de Palma near the island capital this morning with blood dripping from a gaping wound on her left calf around 11.30am.
(Credits: CRONICABALEAR/SOLARPIX.COM)
Police said part of her skin around the wound had been ripped off but it didn’t affect muscle tissue.
She was treated at the scene before being taken to a private clinic in Palma.
Patrolling lifeguards found no sign of the creature that caused the horror injury.
Marine biodiversity expert Aniol Esteban told local press based on photos: ‘Our hypothesis is that the attack may have been caused by a bluefish.’
Other marine biologists said it had all the hallmarks of an attack by a triggerfish, colourful, oval-shaped marine fish which have strong-jaws and sharp teeth adapted for crushing shells.
Blue sharks, which rarely bite humans but have been implicated in several biting incidents, have forced the temporary closure of beaches on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca in recent years.
Last year, tourists at Melenara Beach on the island’s east coast were also urged to stay away from the sea after a police drone spotted a hammerhead shark
A blue shark was blamed for an attack on a holidaymaker in Elche near Alicante in July 2016.
The 40-year-old victim was rushed to hospital and given stitches to a wound in his hand.
Most of the unprovoked shark attacks reported across the world come from the Untied States, a trend that has gone on for years.
In 2022, there were 41 confirmed cases of an unprovoked attack in the US – which presented 72% of the worldwide total.
