Turks and Caicos shark attack: Shark bites off tourist's hands while she tried to take selfie on Caribbean beach

The 55-year-old woman was snorkelling off Providenciales, the main island in Turks and Caicos on 7 February when she tried to “engage with the animal from the shallows in an attempt to take photographs,” the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources said in a statement. The woman was a few yards offshore when the beast clamped its jaws on her arms, officials told the Daily Telegraph.

The tourist’s horrified husband jumped in the water to try to scare the shark away. The victim, who has not been publicly identified, had to have one arm amputated below the wrist and the other halfway up her forearm, according to the Herald. She was flown back to Canada for additional treatment.

Authorities have not determined the species of shark that bit her but said it appears to have been a bull shark. The victim's brother-in-law has now set up a GoFundMe page for her and her husband, where he revealed more details about the encounter.

He said the shark initially bumped into the victim's legs, before circling back and biting her thigh. "Not satisfied, the shark came back again and when she put both hands in front of her to protect herself, the shark cut off both of her hands, one at mid forearm and the other at the wrist," he wrote.

The man who made the funding page said his brother - the victim's husband - served Canada through its armed forces for more than 30 years, adding: "It's our turn to help them." The funding page for the couple has already raised $23,000 CAD (£12,859).

The same day, two American tourists were attacked by a shark in the Bahamas. The Turks and Caicos beach was shut down afterward but reopened on 9 February.