In the Galapagos Islands, a shark attacked an American nurse and bit her on the leg, reports the New York Post.
The attack occurred while Delaya Iriarte, 42, a US citizen originally from Mexico, was snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean. As a result, the woman received serious leg injuries and lost a lot of blood.
“It looked like a blow, so at first I didn’t understand what it was. When I turned around, I saw blood in the water. I knew what kind of wound it was, I saw that it was deep, and I knew that I would lose a lot of blood”, – a native of Mexico told local media.
The heartbreaking footage published by the publication shows how a woman is carried off a boat with her leg wrapped in cloth. The victim was then taken by military helicopter to a local hospital, where she underwent surgery.
“She is stable, she is conscious, she has not lost her leg,” Dr. Renato Pacheco told local media.
The woman added that she had five operations in total and more than 100 stitches were put on her leg. She also said that her leg became numb after the attack.
“I guess it was because it happened so fast that my brain didn’t have time to register the pain,” recalls the bitten.
Now the single mother is negotiating with the US Consulate to return home from the Ecuadorian hospital to her 15-year-old daughter.
“I understand that it will be a long process, but I’m just lucky that I’m still alive,” Iriarte told the publication.
According to the doctors, she will be able to walk again, but there is a long road ahead of her recovery and probably several more surgeries.