Female tourist, 57, is mauled by shark in front of fellow holidaymakers on Thai beach

A German tourist was mauled by a shark in front of shocked holidaymakers on a popular holiday beach in Thailand.

Elke Maier, 57, screamed in pain as the beast sank its teeth into her leg while she was swimming outside her hotel in Phang Nga on November 29.

Tourists helped her limp to shore as she bled profusely from the gaping 12-inch wound on her lower left leg.

The victim was rushed from Khao Lak beach to the local hospital before being transferred to a larger facility in Phuket for emergency surgery.

She has been recovering there since and will undergo a second operation today, local media report.

Police and conservationists have confirmed that the perpetrator was a bull shark, believed to be around six feet long. They visited Mrs. Maier in the hospital and promised to catch the shark.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Ekkachai Siri said: “The victim’s condition has improved significantly and she will undergo further surgery this evening if she continues to recover well.

“The tourist has travel insurance and we have provided documentation to support her. The German Embassy will also assist.

“Officers are searching for the shark so it can be captured and relocated.”

Marine ecosystem expert Thon Thamrongnawasawat, who has studied grim animals in Thai waters, confirmed that the creature responsible was a bull shark.

He added: ‘The shark may have been swimming along the seabed and noticed moving legs, mistaking them for prey. There was only one bite without further struggling, biting or eating the meat. So we think he realized that the tourist was not his natural prey and set her free.

This behavior indicated that the intention was not to hunt a human, but rather a misunderstanding. I think it was Bull Shark.”

Shocked onlookers said the beast responsible for the attack was about six feet tall. They think it then swam away into the deeper water.

Each had a large wound with teeth marks about 6 inches wide and 12 inches long. The teeth had pierced her skin and muscles.

Police and local officials arrived on the beach. They said locals had reported shark sightings a few days earlier and one had been caught. However, they had not identified the species.

Holidaymaker Friedrich Bach, also from Germany, said: ‘Sea conditions were calm, but there was some panic.

‘I heard shouting and people helping a woman. I heard people shouting “shark, shark”. I’m afraid to go back into the sea.’

Lifeguard Athit Athit Pinyo, 29, from a beachside hotel resort, said tourists raised the alarm after Elke was attacked.

He said: “A foreign tourist raised her hand and shouted for help. I quickly ran to the beach to help the tourist.

‘To help, I took a boarding device into the water. There was a deep wound on her left leg with teeth marks and it looked like a shark had bitten her.

‘The area where the tourist went to play in the water was not very deep, only chest deep. It seemed safe.”

Local tourism leaders are now trying to protect the area’s image. They are seen in the video patrolling the beach where the shark attack occurred.

Lertsak Ponklin, chairman of the Tourism Business Association of Phang Nga Province, said warnings have been sent to local hotels, water sports companies and surfing schools.

The tourism chief added: “The next measure is to prevent Phang Nga province from becoming a rich breeding ground for sharks.

‘If this was a shark attack, we need to study and discover what areas they swim in. We must take precautions to prevent tourists from swimming there.

“We have to make tourists understand the situation. “In addition, we must urgently insist that Phang Nga Province have a larger number of lifeguards to protect tourists on the beaches.”

Phang Nga is located in western Thailand along the coast of the Andaman Sea and extends into the Bay of Bengal.

The region is home to reef sharks, tiger sharks, bull sharks, gray reef sharks and even hammerhead sharks. They are all capable of attacking humans.