Med beach closed after shark alert

BATHERS were ordered out of the sea near Perpignan yesterday afternoon after two sharks were spotted in the water.

Two swimmers raised the alarm at about 3pm when they saw two fins in the water about 50 metres from the coast of Canet-en-Roussillon, near the Spanish border in the Pyrénées-Orientales.

The sea was evacuated by the pompiers and swimming was banned for the rest of the day.

The pair of blue sharks – one about 2m long and the other about 1m – had been pushed towards the coast by a strong sea wind.

Marine biologist Jacques Carrière told La Dépêche newspaper that the species was “absolutely not dangerous” and he had never heard of anyone being bitten by a shark in this region.

The beach is due to reopen for bathers later today.