South Dakota woman, 68, dragged out by currents and 'eaten by shark' in horror attack on dream vacation

A tourist is suspected to have been eaten by a shark in a horror attack in Indonesia.

Colleen Monfore, 68, from South Dakota , USA, was enjoying a diving trip with six friends around the Pulau Reong island off the coast of the country's Southwest Maluku Regency when tragedy struck.

She was sadly dragged away by the fierce currents and the guide was unable to pull her back to safety on the boat. An eight-day rescue operation was launched but Ms Monfore was nowhere to be found. However, a fisherman in the neighbouring country of East Timor discovered human remains in the belly of a shark on Sunday, October 6.

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The fisherman described the disturbing moment he found a body. He said: "The shark was caught but it was not in normal health. I thought it had swallowed plastic or a fishing net. It was cut open to find the problem and inside there were the remains of a woman."

Officials in East Timor are contacting the coast guard in Indonesia. They also appealed for details of anyone with missing friends or relatives due to the popularity of diving in the nearby islands, that are Indonesian territory.

Muhammad Saleh Goro, Head of the Regional Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD) for the Management of the Alor Islands Marine Park and surrounding ocean, said: "We have coordinated with the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Dili, and the KBRI has confirmed the truth of this information. The body of the woman was found in a shark in Timor Leste. It was not in Indonesian territory. We are now investigating the case further to confirm if they are the remains of anyone reported missing in Indonesia.

"From the diving suit worn by the victim, it is suspected that they were a diver. The results of the investigation will be published soon after more complete information is available. The anecdotal reports from Timor Leste are that the victim in the shark was foreign female."

Ipda Giovani BM Toffy, the chief of police in Southwest Maluku where Colleen had first gone missing, said the tour guide with the diving group had initially reported her missing. He said: "The initial search effort was carried out by the victim's friends because they were on the same trip to the Banda Islands. We coordinated with the Nabar Village Government to mobilise residents to help search the coast facing Reong Island and conduct searches around the waters of Reong Island using long boats or speed boats, but the victim has not been found."

Pulau Reong is a small island located in the Alor Archipelago of Indonesia, a region renowned for its exceptional scuba diving. Diving around Pulau Reong itself is becoming more popular due to the biodiversity, unique dive sites, pristine corals and quieter environment compared with neighboring Thailand and the Philippines.