The remains of a man who disappeared this week have been identified by his wife after his wedding ring was reportedly found inside the belly of a shark.

Richard Martyn-Turner, a 44-year-old man who hails from Edinburgh in Scotland, was reported missing on Sunday, October 3. He had been snorkelling off La Reunion in shark-infested waters when he seemingly vanished without a trace. His severed hand was later said to have been found in the stomach of a nine-foot-long tiger shark after the animal was brought ashore.

Martyn-Turner's wife Verity, who had come with him to the island to celebrate her 40th birthday, recognized a ring on the finger of the severed arm found in the dark as her missing husband's wedding band.

A local police source allegedly told British tabloid newspaper The Sun that: "The hand and forearm of a man was found inside the stomach of one of the captured tiger sharks."

They continued: "The woman identified the ring as belonging to her husband but the DNA tests will officially confirm if it is the missing man. Further investigations will be carried out on the sharks and the contents of their stomachs examined."

''The sharks were caught because they were swimming way out of their natural habitat. They were in the lagoon area which is shark free because of the coral but they somehow managed to find a way in."

They added: "They were taken to the shark research center where the autopsy was carried out and the human remains found. At this stage, we don't know if the man drowned and was then attacked or if he was attacked while swimming.''

The Sun reports that there have been 27 shark attacks on humans on Reunion Island since 2011, with 11 fatalities.

The remains of a man who disappeared this week have been identified by his wife after his wedding ring was reportedly found inside the belly of a shark.

Richard Martyn-Turner, a 44-year-old man who hails from Edinburgh in Scotland, was reported missing on Sunday, October 3. He had been snorkelling off La Reunion in shark-infested waters when he seemingly vanished without a trace. His severed hand was later said to have been found in the stomach of a nine-foot-long tiger shark after the animal was brought ashore.

Martyn-Turner's wife Verity, who had come with him to the island to celebrate her 40th birthday, recognized a ring on the finger of the severed arm found in the dark as her missing husband's wedding band.

A local police source allegedly told British tabloid newspaper The Sun that: "The hand and forearm of a man was found inside the stomach of one of the captured tiger sharks."

They continued: "The woman identified the ring as belonging to her husband but the DNA tests will officially confirm if it is the missing man. Further investigations will be carried out on the sharks and the contents of their stomachs examined."

''The sharks were caught because they were swimming way out of their natural habitat. They were in the lagoon area which is shark free because of the coral but they somehow managed to find a way in."

They added: "They were taken to the shark research center where the autopsy was carried out and the human remains found. At this stage, we don't know if the man drowned and was then attacked or if he was attacked while swimming.''

The Sun reports that there have been 27 shark attacks on humans on Reunion Island since 2011, with 11 fatalities.