Fisherman describes horror moment they cut open shark to find body of US tourist, 68, who had been eaten on diving hols

A FISHERMAN has described the horrific moment he cut open a shark only to find the body of a missing tourist.

The human remains belong to Colleen Monfore, 68, from South Dakota, US, who was eaten by the beast after being swept away by strong currents during a diving trip.

The body was discovered inside the shark's stomach by a horrified fisherman in neighbouring East Timor.

The fisherman said: "The shark was caught but it was not in normal health. I thought it had swallowed plastic or a fishing net.

"It was cut open to find the problem and inside there were the remains of a woman."

The 68-year-old American was with her friends around the Pulau Reong island when the incident happened on September 26.

The guide was unable to pull her back to the boat.

Rescue teams searched for eight days before finally giving up on October 3 due to the dangerous conditions at sea.

Officials in the Liquisa District said the female corpse was still wearing a black wet suit.

Officials in East Timor are contacting the coast guard in Indonesia.

They also appealed for details of anyone with missing friends or relatives due to the popularity of diving in the nearby islands, that are Indonesian territory.

Muhammad Saleh Goro, Head of the Regional Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD) for the Management of the Alor Islands Marine Park and surrounding ocean, said: "We have coordinated with the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Dili, and the KBRI has confirmed the truth of this information.

"The body of the woman was found in a shark in Timor Leste. It was not in Indonesian territory.

"We are now investigating the case further to confirm if they are the remains of anyone reported missing in Indonesia.

"From the diving suit worn by the victim, it is suspected that they were a diver.

"The results of the investigation will be published soon after more complete information is available.

"The anecdotal reports from Timor Leste are that the victim in the shark was foreign female."

Ipda Giovani BM Toffy, the chief of police in Southwest Maluku where the tourist had first gone missing, said the tour guide with the diving group had initially reported her missing.

He said: "The initial search effort was carried out by the victim's friends because they were on the same trip to the Banda Islands.

"We coordinated with the Nabar Village Government to mobilise residents to help search the coast facing Reong Island and conduct searches around the waters of Reong Island using lon