An American tourist was eaten by a shark while on a dream diving vacation with friends in Indonesia.
The body of Colleen Monfore, of South Dakota, was found inside the shark’s stomach after she was swept out to sea by strong currents, the Sun reported.
Monfore, 68, and six pals were enjoying a dream diving trip around Pulau Reong island. She was dragged out by strong currents on Sept. 26 — and the boat’s guide was unable to pull her back in.
A fisherman caught the shark in East Timor on Sunday.
“The shark was caught but it was not in normal health. I thought it had swallowed plastic or a fishing net,” the fisherman said. “It was cut open to find the problem and inside there were the remains of a woman.”
Local officials said the corpse was in a black wetsuit when it was recovered from the shark’s stomach.
A grisly photo from the scene shows the dead shark cut wide open – with presumed human remains in the background.
An investigation is ongoing. Officials said East Timor — also known as Timor-Leste — is not Indonesian territory.
“We are now investigating the case further to confirm if they are the remains of anyone reported missing in Indonesia,” said Muhammad Saleh Goro, head of the Regional Technical Implementation Unit for the Management of the Alor Island Marine Park.
“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.”
