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Over 3 mln rbls in donations collected for shark-attacked man in FE

The young man already underwent treatment in a clinic in Seoul, where he had two operations for hip muscles and skin restoration

VLADIVOSTOK, October 21 (Itar-Tass) —— Over three million roubles in donations have been collected for Primorye resident Denis Udovenko who lost both hands after a shark attack last August.

The money raising is stopped this Friday, said his grateful relatives in their Internet site. The collected funds will be used to make prostheses for him and care in a clinic in Germany.

The aid was provided by Russian citizens from all over the country and organisations, including the administrations of the Primorye and Khabarovsk Territories and the Sakhalin Region.

The shark attack, the first in the Primorye Territory's history, occurred on August 17 in the Telyakovsky bay in the south of the Khasan district. 25-year-old Denis Udovenko received severe hip and body injuries and lost both hands. According to the conclusion of experts, based on the descriptions of witnesses, it was a white shark.

The young man already underwent treatment in a clinic in Seoul, where he had two operations for hip muscles and skin restoration. The Primorye regional administration paid for the treatment.

Udovenko was the first one, but not last attacked by sharks near the Primorye shore this year. On August 18, near Zheltukhina Island, a 16-year-old teenager was severely injured by a shark. The shark left a tooth in the wound. It was identified as that of a mako shark. On August 27, a shark again appeared near the Khasan district shore. A 26-year-old man from the settlement of Slavyanka was injured in that attack. He received slight arm injuries. The two young men have already completed treatment and returned to normal life.

Several important decisions were taken after the appearance of sharks near the Primorye coast. The beaches will be protected with special nets and barriers that will be installed there next year. Heads of municipalities must determine what beaches will be open for swimming, and there will be such protective nets and barriers. There must be also rescue and medical stations.

A contest will be announced soon to organize permanent monitoring of the Peter the Great Bay and hotline telephone service and develop devices to catch sharks.