A WOMAN has allegedly lost both of her hands in a horror shark attack that only ended when her husband fought off the 6ft beast.

The Canadian who has not been named was mauled off the coast of the Turks and Caicos islands in the Caribbean on Friday.

She had been holidaying in the area and was only a few meters from the shoreline when the savage attack took place.

It has been reported that she lost both of her hands and a chunk of her thigh in the horrifying incident.

The 55-year-old had in the shallows and “attempted to engage” with the animal and take a picture of it, according to local authorities. 

Royal TCI Police said in a statement: “At 10:33 am today (07th February), the Police Control Room of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force received a report that a female visitor had been injured while swimming. 

“Medical personnel and the police were dispatched to the given location in Blue Hills, Providenciales.

“The 55-year-old victim was brought ashore and rushed to the Cheshire Hall Medical Center for Treatment.”

Witnesses said that the woman’s family were further watching on in horror from the beach as her husband tried to fight off the shark.

Local officials said that it was around six-foot in length and continued circling in the shallows after the attack.

The Department of Environment and Coastal Resources said they were called to the scene and saw the woman’s family huddled around her and trying to stem the blood flow from her catastrophic injuries.

“I was there for 40 minutes and it was still lingering,” one witness told Magnetic Media.

“That shark bite victim lost both her hands and some forearms.  Her husband tried to fight it off.”

Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.