Tourists see man bitten in half by shark

A man has reportedly been ripped in half by a six-metre shark off the west coast of Australia, as he swam with a group of tourists. According to The Guardian newspaper, the man was a pleasure boat deckhand and was snorkelling with the group near the Abrolhos Islands, around 250 miles north of Perth. Police Inspector George Putlandis quoted as saying: “The 26-year-old man was bitten in half and death seemed to be instantaneous.” While the species of shark is not known, locals are reportedly speculating that it is probably a tiger shark or a great white. The dead man is reported to have been working on board the Matrix catamaran, owned by the company Matrix Ocean Adventures. According to the Melbourne Age newspaper, the firm has not yet commented on the case and will “wait for the facts to come out from the authorities”. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd