A MAN from North Lancashire tragically died while swimming off the coast of an island in the Indian ocean, with his arm being found inside a Tiger shark.

Martyn Turner, 44, who grew up near Carnforth, had been on holiday with wife Verity on the French-owned island of Réunion, 500 miles east of Madagascar.

He went missing while swimming in Hermitage Lagoon off the coast. Island prosecutor Eric Tuffery said a preliminary investigation showed an arm found inside a 10ft Tiger shark belonged to Mr Turner, of Edinburgh. His wife was able to identify the remains by his wedding ring.

The shark was among several caught on Monday and Tuesday in the Indian Ocean by the Centre Securite Requin (CSR).

Mr Tuffery added authorities were using other tools, including DNA research, to confirm their initial findings.

Mr Turner, who worked for Registers of Scotland, married Verity at St Oswald’s Church, Warton, in 2014, with the reception being held at The Midland Hotel, Morecambe. Flower Designs, the florists which supplied the event, referred to it in a blog post as ‘The Very English Eccentric’s Wedding’, adding: “There was just so much of “them” in it.

“Every detail was considered, conformity ignored and a sincere desire for fun and colour, unadulterated joy was very much top of the list.”

Mr Turner lived in Yealand Redmayne as a child, and is the son of the late Nick Turner, as well as Gillian Turner, who still lives in the village.

A local resident said they had not seen Martyn in decades. However, they remembered him as a typical “rambunctious little boy”, also describing him as “old headed” for his age and “quite studious, probably quite clever.”

They also expressed sympathy for the family, saying: “My heart goes out to them.”

Another resident added: “He was a nice kid and so was (his sister) Kirsty.”

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We are providing support to the family of a British man who died while snorkelling in La Reunion and are in contact with the local authorities.”

Sharks in Réunion also made the headlines on two occasions earlier this year following two separate attacks, both of which proved fatal.

In January, a fisherman died from his injuries after a shark tore off his leg, and a surfer was killed in May.