Shark victim's body washes up on KZN beach

The body of a man believed to have been the victim of a shark attack was found near the mouth of the Isipingo River in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday.

A spokesperson for Nokia Sea Rescue, Jace Govender, said the body was spotted at around 9am on Friday by a fisherman, who alerted emergency services.

"The body is that of a man of about 50 and it was in the water for about 12 hours before being washed up by the high tide," Govender said.

There were three big bite marks on the man's left leg.

Govender said the man was probably attacked by a tiger shark. The shark could have been lured to the river mouth because the rivers in the area were in flood after heavy rain and the water at the mouth was very murky.

Govender said the shape of the bites led them to believe the predator was a tiger shark.

"Tiger sharks, ragged-tooth sharks and Zambezi sharks are indigenous to these waters. It is wrong to say they're man-eaters, but they will attack anything that moves."

Govender said it was the fifth shark attack in the Isipingo area in 15 years.

Authorities have banned bathing along Isipingo and Amanzimtoti, south of Durban.