Honeymoon Horror: Newlywed Husband Shares His ‘Savage’ Shark Attack Experience and Hospital Selfie After Losing a Leg

A MAN who was forced to have his leg amputated after being savagely mauled by a shark on his honeymoon has spoken out for the first time.

Spanish newly wed Borja Garcia Sousa, 31, shared a photo from his hospital bed alongside his loving new wife following

Borja García Sousa has spoken out after a near fatal shark attack left him without a leg Credit: borgarso7/Instagram He had been on his honeymoon at the time of the savage attack Credit: borgarso7/Instagram

He described which nearly cost him his life, saying it was “the most cruel and savage” experience.

In an emotional social media post, he added that he was desperate to return home to “hug and kiss” his loved ones.

Sousa included a loving tribute to his wife, Ana, who he had married just weeks before they left for the .

“If there’s one thing I’m sure of after all this, it’s that there was no better person to go through that storm with,” he wrote.

Sousa had been swimming at the time of the shocking attack that led to his leg being amputated Credit: Linkedin

Sousa’s near death experience on April 11 left him without a leg after a shark ripped a significant amount of flesh from the limb while he was swimming.

He had to be airlifted following the brutal attack and admitted to an intensive care unit at ADK Hospital in Malé – the densely populated capital of the Maldives.

The couple were understood to have been part of a group that entered the water near a fishing processing plant off the island of Kooddoo, home to a four-star boutique hotel resort.

Sousa said his life motto was: “Don’t let fear stop you”.

He had been married just weeks before taking the trip out to the Maldives Credit: Facebook Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

The Spanish tourist and semi-professional futsal player, who works at a hospital in Alicante, chose yesterday to speak out for the first time – exactly one month after his wedding day.

Using pictures from his wedding and one of him recovering in hospital, Sousa said: “Who would have told us that life would put us to the test so soon, barely a month after we said those words before God and before the most important people in our lives”.

“On April 28 we celebrated our first month of marriage. And what can I say to you… we started strong, didn’t we?,” he wrote.

“On April 11, we faced probably the cruelest and most savage episode of our lives,” he continued.

“But not for a single moment did we stop trusting that it would just be a stone in the road; that, no matter what happened, we would find a way to move forward. And we did.”

He added that the moment in the Indian Ocean that day had “changed him forever”.

“[There are] moments in which you understand how fragile life is, but also the strength one can draw when everything seems to be falling apart,” he said.

“All the hands that came together, all the messages and every prayer that was said for me, I’m sure they reached heaven via the fast route and, in some way, brought me back.

“I can’t wait to return to Spain, to laugh until it hurts, to cry with emotion, to hug tightly and to kiss our loved ones as if time had stood still.”

He added that “nothing is more valuable that coming home and feeling the love of those who never let go of us.”

Friends and family members responded to the post, with one person saying “How I long to laugh until it hurts with you, to cry from emotion together, and to give you those very, very tight hugs that we’re so looking forward to giving you”.

Another wrote: “And thank you for those incredible and unforgettable moments that we will very soon relive. I love you.”

“I [will] hug you tightly and I really want to give it to you in person. Stay strong and hopefully you’ll be home soon,” a third added.

Police are investigating the attack after Ana lodged a complaint against the organisers of the marine excursion, accusing them of negligence.

Ana’s family member spoke to the media after they flew out to the island paradise to comfort the young wife.

“With one bite, the shark took all the flesh from the knee down off her husband’s leg,” they said.

Sousa’s limb had to be amputated because of “irreparable damage” caused by the rupture of the main blood vessels and prolonged lack of blood flow, according to medics.

Local reports on the day said the Kooddoo facility had not dumped fish waste for around a week.

One source was quoted as saying: “The sharks were likely in a heightened state of hunger and anticipation”.

“When the group jumped in, the entry itself may have triggered a predatory response.”

Hotel staff from The Residence Maldives described the attack as horrible.

The area where the attack happened is famous for large schools of Spinner sharks.

Subsequent Spanish reports identified the shark as a tiger shark – one of the most dangerous species, with teeth that can slice through flesh, bones and other 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.

Sousa’s colleagues at Dr Balmis University General Hospital in Alicante, where he works as a qualified gynaecologist, praised him as a “consummate professional” in the aftermath of the shark attack.

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. When we found out it was Borja we couldn’t believe it,” they said.

“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.”