PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A shark attacked a British tourist on Friday in the southeastern Caribbean, prompting the Trinidad government & Tobago will close seven beaches and a marine park. The man was hospitalized in an intensive care unit after the attack, authorities said.
The closure included beaches along the northwest coast of the island of Tobago. The attack occurred at Turtle Beach along Great Courland Bay.
The government said in a statement that shark sightings were reported in the Grafton area and Buccoo Reef Marine Park. Officials said the closures will allow the Coast Guard and Department of Fisheries to investigate the incident and “neutralize the shark threat, if possible.”
Shark attacks are rare. Last year, there were 69 unprovoked attacks and 22 provoked bites worldwide, along with 14 deaths, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.