Tourist, 57,  mauled in bloody shark attack in front of horrified beachgoers as beast takes bite out of leg in Thailand

A GERMAN tourist has been mauled in a bloody shark attack in front of horrified beachgoers in Thailand.

Elke Maier, 57, screamed in pain when the beast sank its teeth into her leg while she was swimming in front of her hotel in Phang Nga.

Shocked tourists helped her to hobble ashore as blood spilt onto the sand from a gaping 12 inches wound on her lower left leg.

Fellow German holidaymaker Friedrich Bach, said: "The conditions in the sea were calm but then there was some panic.

"I could hear shouting and people helping a woman. I could hear people shouting 'shark, shark'. I'm afraid to go back into the sea."

Lifeguard Athit Athit Pinyo, 29, from a hotel resort on the beachfront, said that tourists raised the alarm after Elke was attacked on Friday.

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

"I took a board device into the water to help.

"There was a deep wound on her left leg that had 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."

Elke 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 Friday and will have a second operation today.

Police and conservationists also today confirmed that a Bull Shark, believed to be around 5ft long, was behind the attack.

They vowed to catch the beast when visiting the German woman in hospital.

Marine ecosystem expert Thon Thamrongnawasawat, who has studied starks in Thai waters, explained: "The shark may have swum along the seabed and noticed moving legs, mistaking them for prey.

"There was only one bite without, any further wrestling, biting, or eating of the flesh.

"So we believe it recognised the tourist was not its natural prey and released her.

"This behaviour indicated that it did not intend to hunt a human, but rather a misunderstanding. I believe it was Bull Shark."

Police said that locals had reported shark sightings a few days earlier and one had been caught.

But they had not identified the species.

Local tourism chiefs are now scrambling to protect the image of the area as they were seen patrolling the beach where the shark attack happened.

Lertsak Ponklin, President of the Tourism Business Association of Phang Nga province, said warnings had been sent to local hotels, water-sports operators and surfing schools.

Ponklin said: "The next measure is to prevent Phang Nga province from becoming a rich feeding ground for sharks.

"If this was a shark attack, we must study and learn which areas they swim. We must take precautionary measures to prevent tourists from swimming there."

The tourism chief added that authorities must make tourists "understand the situation" and "urgently push" for more lifeguards on beaches to protect them.

Phang Nga is on the west of Thailand along the Andaman Sea coast, stretching into the Bay of Bengal.

The region is home to Reef Sharks, Tiger Sharks, Bull Sharks, Grey Reef Sharks and even Hammerhead Sharks, which can all attack humans.