A Belgian tourist, 76, was killed, and a 52-year-old woman from Los Angeles, California, sustained injuries following a marine animal attack at Playa Quieta, a tranquil beach in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero state, Mexico, on December 14, 2023.
The culprit, either a shark or a crocodile, remains unknown.
The male victim was vacationing with his wife at a nearby resort when he was fatally injured in the leg and died at the scene. Shortly thereafter, the Los Angeles woman was attacked, sustaining leg wounds. She was rushed to a medical facility for treatment.
Authorities are conducting an investigation to determine the precise nature of these attacks. There is speculation about the involvement of either a shark or a crocodile, both inhabitants of the surrounding waters. The Guerrero State Civil Defense Office is examining the injuries to identify the animal type.
If confirmed as a shark attack, this incident would represent the second shark-related fatality in December along the southern Pacific coast of Mexico. An earlier attack near Melaque, west of Manzanillo, claimed the life of a Mexican woman.
Guerrero State’s Tourism Secretary, Santos Ramírez, has suggested that a crocodile could be responsible, pointing out that the current water temperatures are not favorable for sharks. Navy patrols conducted after the incident detected no sharks in the vicinity.
As a precaution, the beach at Playa Quieta has been closed temporarily in the wake of these attacks.
