The hand of a missing Scottish tourist has been discovered in the stomach of a tiger shark caught off the coast of Réunion, according to local media, reports The Guardian.
The 44-year-old man, who has not been named, disappeared on Saturday while snorkelling off the coast of the Indian Ocean island. His wife identified his wedding ring recovered during an autopsy of the shark, the local TV channel Réunion La 1ère reported.
The shark was one of five caught for research purposes in the Indian Ocean on Monday and Tuesday. It was found about four miles from the lagoon where the victim was last seen.
It is not known whether the man may have drowned and subsequently been eaten by the shark, or may have been attacked by it.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We are providing support to the family of a British man who died while snorkelling in La Réunion and are in contact with the local authorities.”
The island, a French department 600 miles east of Madagascar, is a popular surfing destination, but the threat posed by sharks led to a partial ban on surfing and swimming in the summer of 2013. Since then, such activities have only been permitted in the shallow waters of the island’s lagoons.
The main threat in the past has come from bull sharks, described by local surfers as “war machines”. Despite the risk, many surfers have flouted the ban because the island’s waves are considered some of the best in the world.