London - A 30-year-old Briton was killed by a shark during his honeymoon in the Seychelles, the Foreign Office in London confirmed Wednesday.
The victim, Ian Redmond, had “no chance of surviving” the severe injuries he suffered in the attack off the coast of Praslin, the second largest of the Seychelles islands, local police told British media.
He was attacked while swimming, as his bride looked on in horror from the beach, reports said.
Earlier this month, a 36-year-old French tourist was killed by a shark in the same area. Government officials have issued a ban on swimming in certain areas until the shark is captured, the reports said.
Seychelles police spokesman Jean Toussaint said Redmond lost an arm in the attack and was taken to hospital, but could not be saved.
“He had no chance of surviving because of the nature of the injuries,” Toussaint said.
Alain St Ange, the director for tourism, told the Daily Mail newspaper: “We are taking this very seriously. If there is a rogue shark out there we will try to catch it.”
The authorities had requested the help of shark experts from South Africa to help identify the type of shark responsible. “This kind of thing has never ever happened in the Seychelles before,” said Toussaint.
Before the recent attacks, the last fatal incident involving a shark was recorded on the Seychelles in 1963.
Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, the former Kate Middleton, spent their honeymoon on the Seychelles' North Island in May. - Sapa-dpa