Reunion: Surfer Killed by Shark

Born in Besançon and lives in Mortlake (Doubs), man, aged 36, has been charged twice by a shark while he was at sea about fifty meters from the beach of Saint-Breakers Gilles (West), popular in the holiday. He practiced surfing "in isolation", according to the prefecture.

The alert was given by a bather who saw blood on the water and warned lifeguards who immediately rescued the victim to the back of the beach, where she was in a state of cardiac arrest -respiratory. The man, who had lost a lot of blood, could not be revived by emergency despite a half-hour cardiac massage.

The surfer was bitten by a shark in arm and thigh. His wife, who was on the beach when the accident occurred, was in shock supported by firefighters, according to them.

"The water was murky. We watched bodyboarder (surfer) then we saw a big puddle of blood," said one witness, asked by the website Imaz Press Reunion. Shortly before the accident, the Shark Prevention Association Reunion (PRR) announced on its website the cancellation of a scheduled monitoring of surfing in the afternoon, "because of the lack of visibility underwater on spots Boucan Canot and Roches Noires ", where the attack took place.

"The surfing conditions were unfavorable," confirmed the prefecture, citing a "responsible and swell water."

Senator UMP Reunion Jacqueline Farreyrol spoke for his part in a statement the "fatal imprudence" of the victim. "Since this morning, all the surf spots of the west had drawn the orange flag shark, securing free surf sessions had been canceled due to lack of visibility underwater and lifeguards prohibited practice all water sports, "writes elected also president of the organization Reunion Tourism (IRT).

This fatal shark attack is the first since the beginning of the year on the island, where the animal has killed three people in 2012 and 2011. The attacks were mainly held in Saint-Gilles, the seaside area.

The latest attack proved fatal but not back to August 2012, when a surfer had a leg and an arm torn from Saint-Leu (west). On 23 April, however, had a bylaw restricting the activities on the beach of Saint-Pierre, south of the island, after reporting the presence of a shark by a surfer who claimed to have been instructed by the animal.

Last year, the Black Series has generated considerable controversy among scientists and environmentalists on one side and the other surfers on how to secure the swimming and water activities.

Several scientific studies, including a large operation acoustic tagging, have been launched by local authorities to better understand the habits of sharks, according associations surfers would have settled near the beaches.

Preventive measures have also been put in place to protect the practice of swimming and water sports, especially by "lookouts shark" which in boats or in water, are responsible for reporting the presence a shark.

Paddling devices, according to the deputy mayor (Modem) of Saint-Leu (East), which broke out Wednesday "angry" after the latest accident.

"It is urgent to react differently with concrete measures, otherwise the list of people killed on our shores may take longer. In this approach, the only effective solution is to carry out preventive withdrawals of sharks and bull sharks, particularly "he wrote in a statement.

Immediately after the accident, bathing areas were evacuated to Reunion and raised the red flag on the beach.