An American tourist, 68, is feared to have been eaten by a shark after disappearing while diving off the coast of Indonesia, while a fisherman finds the remains of a woman in the belly of the deadly beast

An American tourist is feared to have been eaten by a shark after she disappeared while diving off the coast of Indonesia.

Colleen Monfore, 68, from South Dakota, went missing on September 26 in the ocean near Pulau Reong Island, off the coast of Southwest Maluku Regency.

She was diving with six friends and a guide when a strong current swept her away around 9 a.m. local time. The guide was unable to pull Monfore back to the boat.

Rescue teams searched for eight days before finally giving up on October 3 due to dangerous sea conditions and the low chance of finding her.

A fisherman found human remains in the belly of a shark in neighboring East Timor on Sunday.

Although the remains have yet to be identified, officials in the Liquisa district said the female corpse was still wearing a black wetsuit and appeared to be a Western woman matching Monfore’s profile.

Colleen Monfore, 68, (pictured) from South Dakota, was exploring the breathtaking tropical ocean around Pulau Reong Island off the coast of Southwest Maluku Regency with six friends on September 26. But she was carried away by the strong current. desperate group, and the guide was unable to pull her back to the boat

A fisherman found human remains in the belly of a shark in neighboring East Timor on Sunday

Monfore was diving with six friends and a guide around Pulau Reong when a strong current swept her away around 9am local time on September 26. Her suspected remains were found on October 6 in neighboring East Timor.

The fisherman who made the discovery has described the disturbing moment he found the body.

“The shark was caught, but its health was not normal,” he recalls. ‘I thought he had swallowed plastic or a fishing net. To find the problem, it was cut open and inside were the remains of a woman.”

Officials in East Timor have contacted the coast guard in Indonesia. They have also asked for details of anyone with missing friends or relatives due to the popularity of diving on the nearby islands, which form Indonesian territory.

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

‘The woman’s body was found inside a shark in East Timor. It was not on Indonesian territory. We are now investigating the case further to confirm whether the remains are of someone reported missing in Indonesia.

‘From the diving suit the victim was wearing, it is suspected that he was a diver. The results of the study will be published soon after more complete information becomes available. According to anecdotal reports from East Timor, the victim in the shark was a foreign woman.”

The shark’s belly was cut open after the fisherman made the disturbing discovery. The photo shows the inside of the fish believed to have eaten Monfore

Part of the body of a woman, believed to be a diver, is pictured after being removed from the shark’s belly. Officials say the female corpse was still wearing a black wet suit and appeared to be a Western female matching Monfore’s profile.

Ipda Giovani BM Toffy, the head of police in the southwest Maluku Islands, where Monfore first went missing, said the diving group guide initially reported her missing.

He said: “The initial search was conducted by the victim’s friends as they were on the same trip to Banda Islands.

Monfore, pictured in her passport photo, was reported missing by the tour guide with the diving group

“We have been working with the Nabar village government to mobilize residents to help search the coast opposite Reong Island and search around the waters of Reong Island using long boats or speedboats, but the victim has not been found.”

Pulau Reong is a small island in Indonesia’s Alor Archipelago, a region known for its exceptional diving.

Diving around Pulau Reong itself is becoming increasingly popular due to its biodiversity, unique dive sites, pristine corals and a quieter environment compared to neighboring Thailand and the Philippines.

Shark attacks are extremely rare in Indonesia, with only 11 unprovoked attacks since 1749, according to the latest figures. International shark attack file data, which were published earlier this year.

Before the case involving Monroe, the last reported shark attack in Indonesia occurred near Bali in July 2022, when Russian surfer Sasha Utkina was bitten by a small shark. She suffered lacerations to her foot and was treated at a local hospital.

The regions in Indonesia with the most reported shark attacks are the Riau Islands and East Nusa Tenggara, data shows.

Rescue teams searched for Monfore for eight days before finally giving up on October 3 due to dangerous sea conditions and low chances of finding her

Rescuers are pictured during the multi-day search for Monfore, which was conducted around the waters of Reong Island using long boats or speedboats

Pulau Reong is a small island in Indonesia’s Alor Archipelago, a region known for its exceptional diving. Rescuers are depicted during the search for Monfore

Despite Australia’s reputation as a hotspot, the shark attack capital of the world is actually the US, where more than half of the 69 globally confirmed shark bites occurred last year.

Florida and California have the most attacks in the U.S. each year, and this is likely driven by the more people swimming in the water in those regions and how long people swim in the ocean over the course of the year.

The International Shark Attack File revealed that great white sharks, tiger sharks and bull sharks will have killed the majority of people in 2023, but the increased deaths are due to the fact that there are more people in the ocean each year and there is a greater emphasis is imposed on reporting bites and fatalities.