Tourist Tries to Get Shark in Photo, Loses Both Hands

A woman vacationing in the Turks and Caicos Islands lost both of her hands to a shark while trying to photograph it, reports the Telegraph. The woman, identified only as a 55-year-old from Canada, "attempted to engage with the animal" to take pictures while in shallow water on the beach on the island of Providenciales, according to a government statement and the New York Times. Authorities say the shark was about 6 feet long, though its species was not clear.

The woman has returned to Canada following the Feb. 7 incident, per People. A conservationist who works with sharks tells the Times that the animal could have mistaken her phone for a meal. "Sharks, or any predatory animal in the ocean, can confuse that as like a bait fish," says Chris Stefanou. "The shark didn't just see a human: 'Ooh, I'm hungry, I want to go take a bite.'" (More sharks stories.)