A teenager has been decapitated in a horror shark attack after he went swimming off the Jamaican coast, writes The Daily Mail.

Jahmari Reid’s body was reportedly found with his head missing and his left arm bitten off. The 16-year-old had gone spearfishing near the popular tourist town of Montego Bay on Monday, according to local police.

The high school student vanished after going out into the water by himself and his mauled body was recovered on Tuesday. His heartbroken father, Michael Reid, was on the beach when divers brought his son’s remains back to land.

Pictures from the scene showed scores of horrified locals gathering at the beach in the town of Falmouth on the island’s northern coast.

The head of a local fisherman’s association said that this was the first time in recent history that someone had been killed by a shark in local waters. Falmouth police are reported to be investigating the tragedy.

Shark attacks are extremely rare in Jamaica, with only three unprovoked attacks reported since 1749, according to the International Shark Attack File. The most common shark in Jamaica is a nurse shark, which is docile and usually stays near the seabed.