A Mexican marine biologist was seriously injured after he was attacked by a shark while working off Costa Rica's Pacific coast and transferred to a hospital in the country's capital on Monday, authorities said.

Costa Rica's Fire Department said it had rescued 48-year-old Mauricio Hoyos from the attack Saturday and carried him on a 36-hour journey from Cocos Island, around 340 miles (550 kilometres) off the coast. Despite the serious injuries to his head, face and arms, Hoyos arrived to the hospital in stable condition.
"He was tagging species for monitoring and when he tagged one of the island's shark species, the shark turned," said Luis Fernández, a physician with the Fire Department. "It was about 4 metres long with an enormous bite force " it turned and bit him on the head."