Majorca shark terror
British tourists flee to the beach as killer is spotted in shallow water yards from the shore of holiday resort
PANICKED bathers ran out of the sea after a shark was spotted in a busy holiday resort.
The eight-foot blue shark with the tell-tale fin menaced swimmers in Illetas, close to Magaluf on Majorca, just after midday on Saturday.
It came and went within five minutes, striking terror into the hearts of tourists who saw it.
Others were oblivious to the danger until frightened bathers ran screaming from the water.
Photos taken by stunned onlookers show the shark swimming towards a group of people, including children on lilos.
Police were alerted and civil protection workers monitored the area for several hours afterwards to make sure the beast did not reappear.
The blue shark – or tintotera in Spanish – vanished after swimming back out to sea.
But yesterday morning, a nearby beach was closed after a second shark sighting.
Local reports said a shark about the same size as the one seen at Illetas was spotted at 9am off Cala Mayor, a 10-minute drive east along the coast towards Palma.
Lifeguards ordered people out of the sea before hoisting up the red flag and alerting police.
But because it happened earlier in the day, there were fewer people in the water at the time.
A spokesman for Calvia council, which covers Illetas, confirmed it was thought to be the same animal. She said: “It approached the beach at Illetas on Saturday between 12 and 1pm.
“It was kept under control and the beach is being watched as well today.
“The one seen off Cala Mayor appears to be the same one. It has been kept under close watch since early morning.”
Cala Mayor was reopened after the shark failed to reappear, although lifeguards were stopping people from swimming too far out.
Others kept watch on rocks near the beach so they could alert colleagues if the shark returned.
The shark appeared at a third Majorcan resort, Can Pastilla, yesterday afternoon. The beach there was also closed down – but this time, the huge fish was captured.
Experts from Palma Aquarium were called out and they discovered that the shark had a head wound, possibly caused by a harpoon.
It is thought the injury could have left it disorientated, explaining
Common in Mediterranean waters, blue sharks feed on small fish and squid. They can reach 12ft long and weigh as much as 450lb. They rarely bite humans – only four fatal attacks have been recorded.
why it repeatedly swam into shallow areas packed with swimmers.
Illetas is around six miles west of the Majorcan capital, Palma. It is a short drive from Palma Nova and Magaluf, which are both popular resorts with British tourists.
On Friday, a beach in Valencia, eastern Spain, was closed after another shark sighting.
Bathers were allowed back in the water at Patacona after two and a half hours.
Last month, a blue shark was blamed for an attack off the popular Playa d’en Bossa beach on Ibiza which left a Spanish pensioner needing emergency hospital treatment for a two-inch gash to his hand.
Another blue attacked a holidaymaker in Elche, near Alicante, last July.