Rio de Janeiro, Dec 22 (EFE).– A 33-year-old man was attacked by a shark, which tore off his hand and part of his arm, while he was swimming a few meters (yards) offshore at a beach on the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha, medical personnel reported on Tuesday.

The victim, whose name was withheld, was transported on Tuesday morning to a hospital in the mainland city of Recife, where he underwent surgery for the second time and is in stable condition, according to a bulletin issued by the hospital.

“Because of the infected animal bite, it is necessary to administer antibiotics and complete the cycle of these (medications) to see how the patient evolves,” said Dr. Rogerio Ehrardt.

The victim, a resident of Parana state who was visiting the idyllic Atlantic Ocean island with his wife and brother, was initially treated by a medical team at the only hospital in the archipelago and by doctors who happened to be in the vicinity of the attack.

This is the first registered instance of an attack of this particular kind in the archipelago since 1992, when the committee created to investigate shark attacks in Pernambuco state, known as Cemit, began tallying them.

Fernando de Noronha is part of Pernambuco state, the capital of which is Recife.

Cemit coordinator Col. Clovis Ramalho, said after a conversation with the victim’s wife that the accident is under investigation and that authorities are trying to gather information to identify the species of shark in question.

According to statistics compiled by the authorities, from 1992 through July on beaches in Pernambuco there were as many as 59 shark attacks that have killed 24 people. EFE