A man from Scotland was on a family holiday when he vanished while swimming in a ‘safe lagoon’ on the 2nd November.
Martyn Turner, aged 44, was snorkelling off La Reunion island in the Indian Ocean where he is feared to have been eaten by a tiger shark after his wife identified his wedding ring on a severed hand found inside the shark’s stomach.
The shark was among several caught on the 4th and 5th November in the Indian Ocean by the Centre de Securite Requin (CSR) for research purposes.
It was found just over four miles from Hermitage Lagoon, where the man had been last seen and was examined on Wednesday morning.
Swimming and surfing have been banned in the French overseas territory since the summer of 2013 and it is only permitted to swim in the shallow waters of La Reunion island’s lagoons.
French President, Emmanuel Macron, said last month that he would like water sports to be reintroduced by 2022, but added that he wanted “to be sure” that it would be safe to do so.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are providing support to the family of a British man who died while snorkelling in La Reunion island and are in contact with the local authorities.”
A post-mortem examination on the man has yet to have taken place and it is not yet known whether he drowned and was, subsequently, eaten by the shark, or if the shark attacked him.
