Authorities recovered half of a fisherman’s body in mid-May after a search off Lubang Island in the Philippines, according to local outlet GMA News Online.
The man was allegedly last seen alive May 10, when he asked someone in the local area to drop him off at a nearby location so he could fish alone, GMA reported Tuesday. When the man did not return, authorities started an extensive search of the area which lasted through May 11, according to the outlet.
Authorities from the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Bureau of Fire Protection and the Philippine Coast Guard station in Barangay Bicanas initially came across the body, GMA reported. They initially believed it was a bird, and only realized it was half of the fisherman’s body upon closer inspection, according to Newsweek.
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“[When] they reached the corpse, the head was still there, [but] there were so many tiger sharks around [and] they were eating the body,” Lubang Mayor Mike Orayani reportedly told GMA. Authorities managed to recover one half of the body and returned it to the victim’s family, according to Newsweek. (RELATED: Man Uses Frying Pan In Epic Battle Against Crocodile)
It is believed the tiger sharks had been eating the man. Tiger sharks can grow up to 18 feet in length and will eat almost anything, Newsweek reported, citing the Florida Museum’s Shark File. Other than great white sharks, tiger sharks are involved in more unprovoked attacks than any other shark species, according to the outlet. It was reportedly unclear whether the man was already dead when the sharks ate him, or if he was killed by the ancient animals.