Shark captured and killed after causing panic off holiday island

A SHARK has been captured and killed in Majorca after sending terrified swimmers fleeing from the water at several beaches on the Spanish island over the weekend.

The 5ft (1.5 metre) blue shark was spotted off five beaches in the space of 48 hours, causing panic among bathers and forcing closures as authorities mounted an operation to catch it. It was first seen on Saturday in Illetas, between Palma and the popular resort of Magaluf, before reappearing along the coast in the cove of Cala Nova.

Said to be disoriented, the animal was next seen near the beach of Cala Major on Sunday morning.

Much of the Playa de Palma, to the east of the city, was then closed as the shark made its way along the shoreline, before being caught around 5pm at C’an Pastilla by a rescue team from Palma Aquarium. The shark was found to be injured and was sedated before being euthanised to “minimise its pain and stress and give it a dignified death”, the team said in a statement.

The shark’s appearance coincided with a busy holiday weekend as Spaniards arrived for the festival of San Juan, which marks the start of summer.

“The shark was the only one who was in its environment and it ended up dead,” one commentator wrote on the website of El Mundo. Many people questioned whether the animal could not have been treated and released.

But Palma Aquarium said the blue shark would not have survived because a fish hook was detected in its mouth.