Holidaymaker mauled in horrific shark attack as tourist rushed to hospital after creature takes bite out of leg in Thailand

The incident - which saw Maier left with a 12-inch wound on her leg - occurred in chest-deep water, sending shocked beachgoers into panic as blood spilled onto the sand.

The 57-year-old was initially taken to a local hospital before being transferred to a larger facility in nearby Phuket for emergency surgery.

She remains in hospital - and is scheduled for a second operation today.

Fellow German holidaymaker Friedrich Bach said: "The conditions in the sea were calm but then there was some panic.

"I could hear shouting and people helping a woman. I could hear people shouting 'shark, shark'. I'm afraid to go back into the sea."

Hotel resort lifeguard Athit Athit Pinyo, 29, was among the first responders to the incident.

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"A foreign tourist raised her hand and shouted for help. I quickly ran down to the beach to help the tourist," he said.

He added: "There was a deep wound on her left leg that had teeth marks and it looked like a shark had bitten her. The area where the tourist went to play in the water was not very deep, only chest deep. It seemed safe."

Police and conservationists have confirmed that a Bull Shark, approximately five feet long, was responsible for the attack.

Marine ecosystem expert Thon Thamrongnawasawat said: "The shark may have swum along the seabed and noticed moving legs, mistaking them for prey.

"There was only one bite without any further wrestling, biting, or eating of the flesh.

"So we believe it recognised the tourist was not its natural prey and released her," Thamrongnawasawat added.

Local police have said residents has spotted sharks in the area before - with one being caught just days earlier, though its species was not identified.

Tourism officials are now scrambling to protect the area's reputation, with increased beach patrols being implemented at the attack site.

Lertsak Ponklin, President of the Tourism Business Association of Phang Nga province, said warnings had been issued to local hotels, water-sports operators and surfing schools.

"The next measure is to prevent Phang Nga province from becoming a rich feeding ground for sharks," Ponklin said.

The tourism chief called for authorities to help tourists "understand the situation" and said more lifeguards were urgently needed on beaches to ramp up safety measures.