Female American tourist, 68, 'eaten by shark' while diving in Indonesia

A female American tourist is believed to have been eaten by a shark while she was on a dream diving holiday in Indonesia.

Colleen Monfore, 68, from South Dakota, was with six friends exploring the stunning tropical ocean around the Pulau Reong island off the coast of the country's Southwest Maluku Regency on September 26.

But she was dragged away by the strong currents. Her desperate group and the guide tried to save her but they were unable to pull her back to the boat.

Rescue teams searched for eight days before finally giving up on October 3 due to the dangerous conditions at sea and the low chance of finding Colleen.

Tragically, a fisherman in the neighbouring country of East Timor found human remains in the belly of a shark on Sunday, October 6.

Officials in the Liquisa District said the female corpse was still wearing a black wet suit and appeared to be that of a Western woman matching the profile of Colleen.

The fisherman 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 Embassy 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.