Tourist is seriously injured with 'extensive blood loss' after 'deep bite' while swimming in the Med off Italian holiday resort

By SABRINA PENTY, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 14:51, 24 July 2026 | Updated: 14:56, 24 July 2026 A Swiss tourist has been left seriously injured and suffering extensive blood loss after being bitten while swimming on a Mediterranean beach.  The man, 55, went for a dip in the sea off the Italian coastal town of Pioppi when a mystery fish bit his leg and left him with a deep wound, according to reports.  The pain is said to have been so severe that the man struggled to make it back to shore and had to call for help.  Beach-goers and lifeguards tried to help stop his leg from bleeding to no avail.  He was eventually taken to hospital, where he was treated for his injury.  It is unclear what marine animal bit him; however, experts believe it could have been a grey triggerfish or a small barracuda.  The incident comes amid warnings of toxic pufferfish with razor-sharp teeth that have invaded the Mediterranean. The silver-cheeked toadfish has been spotted across Greece, where panicked officials are rushing to erect extensive sea barriers to keep them away from swimmers. The man had gone for a swim in the Italian coastal town of Pioppi (file image)  With fang-like teeth that can tear through bone, wood and metal, the Greek Red Cross issued an urgent alert over the aggressive invasive species. As well as a savage bite, the pufferfish's flesh and organs are potentially lethal as it contains the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin, which can cause heart and lung failure if ingested. Although typically found in the Indian Ocean, the species has invaded the Mediterranean after it is believed they followed warming seas by swimming up through the Suez Canal from the Red Sea. Cypriot fishermen were first to spot that their catch and nets were being decimated below the water. And while they have been in the Mediterranean since as early as 2003, their population has blossomed in recent years - especially in areas like top holiday destination Rhodes - and can be found as far west as Italy and Spain. Their brutal bite has been felt by humans, with increasing reports of attacks on swimmers.  Earlier this month, an elderly Greek woman was left needing stitches after one of the fish unexpectedly lunged at her in Varkiza, near Athens.