Majorca beach evacuated as shark spotted prowling near the shore in latest sighting off Spain
HOLIDAYMAKERS have been ordered to get out the sea at a popular Majorcan holiday beach following a new shark sighting.
The blue shark is said to have been prowling the shoreline, which terrified swimmers and prompted lifeguards to evacuate the beach.
The drama occurred this morning at Playa de Palma, a near-four-mile stretch of beach on the popular Spanish island.
It runs between Can Pastilla and the former fishing village of El Arenal which attracts hordes of holidaymakers in the summer months.
The shark remained there for several frightening minutes before vanishing.
There were no immediate reports of any injuries.
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Blue sharks rarely bite humans but have been implicated in several biting incidents, four of which are reported to have ended fatally.
A large blue shark was blamed for an attack on a holidaymaker in Elche near Alicante in July 2016.
The 40-year-old victim was rushed to hospital and given stitches to a wound in his hand.
The shark sighting today comes after swimmers had to sprint out of the water after two sharks were spotted stalking the shoreline of a popular Spanish beach last week.
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Lifeguards ordered people to get out of the water after noticing the prowling predators advancing towards the Port de la Selva beach.
In June, several sharks were spotted off the Balearic Islands as well as the Costa Blanca.
A seven-foot blue shark was filmed gliding through the water at Calo des Moltons, a small pebbled cove in the north of Ibiza which is a popular spot for snorkelling on June 24.
That sighting took place just over a week after a shark sparked panic at Aguamarina beach in Orihuela Costa south of Alicante just two days earlier.
The same day it emerged the same species of shark had been spotted inside Ciutadella Port in Menorca.
Also in June, a group of fishermen in Majorca were left in shock when a massive cow shark approached their boat.
A shocking video shows the moment a large animal is spotted approaching their boat in the calm waters of Cap de Formentor, near Puerto Pollensa.
The men turned the boat engine off to avoid hurting the beast during their unusual encounter with a species of shark that usually stays at the bottom of the sea.
Oceanographer Gador Muntaner, seeking to play down the danger of blue sharks and concerns about the number of sightings this summer, stated this week: “If they’re near the coast, it’s usually because they’re weak, disorientated or have parasites.
“It’s almost impossible for a tintorera [blue shark] to kill someone. It’s much more likely you’ll be hit by lightning.”
Earlier this week the focus switched to wild boars after they were filmed rifling through tourists’ belongings on a Costa del Sol beach in search of food and water as astonished sunbathers looked on.
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The remarkable scenes happened at a beach just east of the upmarket resort of Marbella.
A pint-sized blonde girl was filmed running towards her mum as two of the hungry beasts came within inches of her as they fought over one of the items they had snatched up from bags left by a sun lounger.