WASHINGTON: It was third time unlucky for a Colorado man attacked by a shark in Hawaii — as he had already been mauled by a bear and bitten by a rattlesnake, all in less than four years, local media reported.
Dylan McWilliams, 20, was bodyboarding in the ocean off Kauai on Thursday, when what he believed to be a tiger shark between six and eight feet (around two meters) long chomped him on the leg, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported.
The outdoorsman — who said he has worked as a survival training instructor — was able to swim around 30 yards (meters) back to shore, where a bystander called paramedics.
“I didn’t know if I lost half my leg or what,” he said.
McWilliams, of Grand Junction, western Colorado, received seven stitches in hospital — just months after he was given nine staples in his scalp following an altercation with a black bear at a Colorado summer camp last July.
As he slept outdoors, McWilliams said he was awoken by the bear biting the back of his head. It then dragged him, only dropping its grip as he punched it and poked it in the eye.
“I guess I was just in the wrong spot at the wrong time,” he said of the attack, which caught the attention of media outlets worldwide.
The two attacks followed his first run-in with a rattlesnake during a Utah hiking trip. However, he told the Star Advertiser, the bite was not severe, and he was only ill for a couple of days.
“My parents are grateful I’m still alive,” he added.
Hawaii shark bite victim previously attacked by bear, snake
Hawaii shark bite victim previously attacked by bear, snake
- Dylan McWilliams, 20, is either the luckiest or unluckiest man alive, depending on how you look at this
- The bear dragged him in its teeth by the back of his head
Makkah museum displays world’s largest Qur’an
MAKKAH: The Holy Qur’an Museum at the Hira Cultural District in Makkah is showcasing a monumental handwritten copy of the Holy Qur’an, recognized as the largest Qur’an of its kind in the world.
The manuscript measures 312 cm by 220 cm and comprises 700 pages, earning the museum recognition from Guinness World Records for displaying the world’s largest Qur’an, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The manuscript is a magnified reproduction of a historic Qur’an dating back to the 16th century, the SPA stated.
The original copy measures 45 cm by 30 cm, with the chapters written primarily in Thuluth script, while Surah Al-Fatiha was penned in Naskh, reflecting the refined artistic choices and calligraphic diversity of the era.
The Qur’an is a unique example of Arabic calligraphy, gilding and bookbinding, showcasing Islamic art through intricate decorations, sun-shaped motifs on the opening folio, and elaborately designed frontispiece and title pages that reflect a high level of artistic mastery.
The manuscript was endowed as a waqf in 1883. Its original version is currently preserved at the King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries, serving as a lasting testament to Muslims’ enduring reverence for the Qur’an and the richness of Islamic arts across the centuries.
