Palma beach closed due to fish attack on tourist

PalmPalma Local Police have evacuated and urgently closed Palma Beach near resort number six after a marine animal bit a woman's leg and tore off a piece of her calf. According to ARA Baleares, the victim is Italian, almost 90 years old, and was on the island on a trip.

Specifically, she was walking along the beach sidewalk with her daughter when she was attacked by the fish. Emergency services were dispatched to the scene and treated the victim of the attack. After stabilizing her, she was taken to the Rotger Clinic.

Initial investigations suggest that it may be a fish common in the Balearic Islands. However, initially, in an English-language message, the emergency PA system asked bathers to leave the beach due to a "shark attack."

The Government's General Directorate of Fisheries believes it is a common fish and not a fish with a toothy jaw, as it appears to be a small bite that the fish has stretched, tearing off part of the skin and tissue of the calf. Thus, everything points to it being a corker fish, an increasingly common species in the Archipelago, and that its arrival on the island is partly due to the warming of the water. In any case, the General Directorate of Fisheries assures that until they locate it, it cannot be confirmed.

The corker fish is a small fish, weighing about three kilos at most, and is quite aggressive. They say it is a fish that can attack without prior provocation, and that is why they believe it may be the cause of the Italian tourist's injury.

Initially, a red flag was flown on the beach prohibiting both swimming and walking along the coast. Now, hours after the attack and having confirmed that the fish is no longer in the area near the beach, a yellow flag has been set up, allowing swimming, but with caution. In addition, several jet skis and boats are monitoring the area to prevent a further attack.