Man Killed in Seychelles Shark Attack, Second in a Month
A shark attack in the East African islands of Seychelles on Tuesday has left a honeymooning man dead. The attack is the second to occur in the area in a month.
Ian Redmond, 30, was on the second week of his honeymoon with wife Gemma Houghton when he was attacked by a shark while snorkeling at Anse Lazio beach, on the island of Paslin. Still alive after being rescued, he had suffered a severed arm and injuries to his hips, and later died.
Police spokesman Jean Toussaint, reported that Redmond was aided by two men on a catamaran at approximately 5 p.m. local time and was taken to the hospital, but his injuries were too extensive for him to survive.
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"We haven't got the autopsy report yet but he definitely lost a lot of blood," he said.
While many onlookers did not witness the attack, they were present for the aftermath. Jeanne Vargiolu, a local restaurant owner heard sirens on Tuesday which prompted her to go to the beach and investigate.
"I saw his wife talking to about five people, I think one was English, that she still had hope he was still alive," she said.
"They were trying to help him but they could not get him alive."
Anse Lazio beach is currently closed and neighboring beaches have also banned diving until the shark is caught. Alain St. Ange, director of the Seychelles Tourism Board told the BBC that the "freak accident" was caused by a "foreign shark."
However, a 36-year-old French tourist was killed by a shark on the same beach on August 2.
"We need to find the beast and get it out of our waters, we have requested help from South Africa and two experts are arriving in the country in the next day," he said.
Before these incidents, the last recorded shark attack in the Seychelles occurred in 1963.
In tribute to her late husband, Gemma Houghton has released a statement.
"I loved him so much and he was a very special husband, a thoughtful son and a devoted brother," she said.
"He worked tirelessly to give us both a wonderful married life and home and I want to thank him for nine years of joy. We were having so much fun and we were so excited about our future together."
According to Toussaint, the couple was scheduled to return home on Sunday.
Seychelles is also where Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrated their honeymoon earlier this year.
