A TOURIST whose leg was “stripped of flesh” in a brutal shark attack whilst on honeymoon in the Maldives has been named.
Newly-wed Borja Garcia Sousa, 31, had been swimming through a stretch of water known as “shark alley”when he was .
Borja Garcia Sousa was mauled in a shark hospot in the Maldives Credit: Linkedin
He was on his honeymoon with wife Ana after the pair got married just weeks earlier Credit: Facebook
The doctor, from Alicante in Spain, was on his first holiday with his new wife following their wedding just weeks earlier.
His new wife Ana watched the horror event unfold before her eyes as the beast ripped off her husband’s leg while he was swimming off an island called Kooddoo.
“With one bite, it took all the flesh from the knee down”, said a member of Ana’s family, who had flown to comfort the newlywed.
Medics said that Sousa’s leg had to be amputated due to the “irreparable damage” caused by rupture of blood vessels.
He remains in intensive care in the ADK Hospital in Male.
Colleagues of the doctor, who qualified as a gynaecologist at Dr Balmis University General Hospital last year, said they “couldn’t believe it” when they heard of the horror incident.
One said: “Staff at the hospital and especially those who knew him are in a state of shock.
“Borja was always very professional, very diligent and very polite”, they added.
“For something like this to happen on your honeymoon when you’re supposed to be enjoying the happiest moments of your life is so awful and unusual. It’s obviously going to change his life”.
The tragedy begun when a tour group took tourists to a popular swim spot off the coast of Kooddoo, near near the Kooddoo fish processing plant.
Though the area is known for its spinner sharks, Spanish media outlets have revealed that the attack was likely from a Tiger shark.
They are one of the most dangerous species because their teeth can slice through flesh, bones and tough substances such as turtle shells.
They have a reputation for eating almost anything and are said to be responsible for a large share of fatal shark-bite incidents.
Cops are investigating what caused the savage attack, but one theory posits that the sharks had not been fed recently.
Local reports claim that the Kooddoo facility nearby which usually feeds the sharks had not dumped fish waste for around a week.
“The sharks were likely in a heightened state of hunger and anticipation,” a source told local media.
“When the group jumped in, the entry itself may have triggered a predatory response.”
The family of Sousa have lodged a formal complaint of negligence against the tour company whom they say “acted recklessly” in taking tourists to the dangerous location.
A spokesperson from Residence Maldives, the luxury spa where the couple were staying, said: “It was a horrible attack. The victim was missing a large amount of flesh on his leg.
“It has been a traumatic experience for everyone at the complex”, they added.
Police have launched in investigation into the shark attack Credit: Alamy Stock Photo
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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