Drunk man is killed by shark that bit off his hand when he waded into the sea to go to the toilet on Brazilian beach

A drunk man has died in a horrific shark attack after he waded into the sea to urinate at a Brazilian beach.

Marcelo Rocha Santos, 51, had his hand and a chunk of his leg bitten off by the predator at Piedade Beach in Jaboatao dos Guararapes on Saturday.

After lying motionless on the beach surrounded by shocked bystanders, he was taken to hospital in Recife where he was pronounced dead. 

A drunk man has died in a horrific shark attack after he waded into the sea to urinate at a Brazilian beach

The attack took place near an area of the beach where there had been 12 previous shark attacks. 

A lifeguard was on duty at the time, but was unable to prevent the attack from taking place.

Mechanic Edriano Gomes told reporters that the victim had been drinking with friends. He entered the water at around 2pm when the weather had gone cloudy and the sea was becoming choppy.

Gomes said: 'It was a friend of mine who was in the sea with the person who was attacked. Suddenly, he saw the man struggling. There was a lot of blood in the water.'

Marcelo Rocha Santos, 51, had his hand and a chunk of his leg bitten off by the predator at Piedade Beach

When the shark attacked, only the victim and the other person who escaped unharmed were in the water at the time.

Fellow swimmer Ademir Sebastiao da Silva, told reporters: 'As the beach has no bathroom, I went into the sea to pee. I was beside him with the water up to our waists.'

Marcelo's friends brought the victim to shore where he fell to the ground unconscious.

It is not known what kind of shark attacked him, though experts say it was likely a bull shark or a tiger shark. 

It is not known what kind of shark attacked Santos, though experts say it was likely a bull shark or a tiger shark

Shark attacks are also more common at this time of year as the rains make the sea murky.

It is believed that despite the various signs warning people not to enter the water, the lifeguard on duty did not tell the two men to get out of the sea as they were only up to their waists.

In the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, where Jaboatao dos Guararapes is located, there have been 62 shark attacks with 25 fatalities since 1992 when building works at Suape Port disrupted the animals' breeding and hunting habits.