Tourist is seriously injured with ‘extensive blood loss’ after ‘deep bite’ while swimming in the Med off Italian holiday resort
A Swiss tourist was seriously injured and suffered extreme blood loss after being bitten while swimming on the Mediterranean coast.
According to the information obtained, when the 55-year-old man went diving in the sea off the coast of Pioppi, Italy, a mysterious fish bit his leg and received a deep wound.
The pain is said to have been so intense that the man had difficulty returning to shore and had to call for help.
Beachgoers and lifeguards tried unsuccessfully to stop the bleeding in his leg.
He was eventually taken to hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.
It is unclear which marine animal bit him; however, experts believe it could be a gray triggerfish or a small barracuda.
The incident occurred amid warnings about poisonous puffer fish with razor-sharp teeth invading the Mediterranean.
The silver-cheeked frogfish has been spotted all over Greece, where panicked authorities have tried to erect vast sea barriers to keep them away from swimmers.
The man went swimming in the seaside town of Pioppi, Italy (file image)
It is possible that the man was bitten by a gray triggerfish (file image)
Others believe the man was bitten by a barracuda fish (file image)
Boasting fang-like teeth that can tear through bones, wood and metal, the Greek Red Cross has issued an urgent warning about the aggressive invasive species.
The flesh and organs of the puffer fish are potentially lethal as they contain the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin, which can cause heart and lung failure if ingested, as well as a wild bite.
Although typically found in the Indian Ocean, the species invaded the Mediterranean after it was believed to follow warming seas by swimming from the Red Sea to the Suez Canal.
Cypriot fishermen were the first to notice that their catch and nets were disappearing under water.
And although they have been in the Mediterranean since as early as 2003, their population has increased in recent years – particularly in areas such as popular holiday destination Rhodes – and they can even be found as far west as Italy and Spain.
Their vicious bites have also been felt by humans, as reports of attacks on swimmers have increased.
Earlier this month, an elderly Greek woman in Varkiza, near Athens, required stitches after being unexpectedly attacked by one of the fish.
