Shark attacks and kills American tourist swimming in the Bahamas
An American tourist was killed in a shark attack while snorkeling with family in the Bahamas on Tuesday.
The victim, a 58-year-old woman, was touring Green Cay with her family while on a daytime excursion during a cruise. The bull shark approached the vacationing family around 2pm, and shortly after attacked the woman, Bahamian officials said.
Green Cay, an area popular for tourists to go snorkeling, is located about a half mile northwest of Rose Island.
The woman, who has not been identified, was attacked by the shark in front of her entire family and a tour guide, according to Royal Bahamas Police Force Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings.
The victim was reportedly the mother of the family on vacation. There were somewhere between five and seven family members included in the group, Skippings said.
The entire family had taken a private board tour to go snorkeling off Rose Island on the day of the attack.
After the attack, the woman’s family and an operator with the boating company pulled her onboard and began to dock the ship. Emergency response officials arrived at the scene, but when they pulled the woman onto the ship she had no vital signs of life.
Bahamian officials are investigating the woman’s death, and the beach where the attack took place has been closed off to any type of snorkeling activities ever since, Skippings said.
It’s unclear when the beach will be reopened.
The victim and her family boarded a seven-night cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida on September 4, and were sailing as guests with Harmony of the Seas, a cruise line owned by Royal Caribbean.
Royal Caribbean confirmed the tourist’s death to NBC News, writing: ‘While on an independent shore excursion in Nassau, Bahamas, a guest sailing on Harmony of the Seas experienced injuries from a shark. After arriving at a local hospital for treatment, the guest passed away from their injuries.’
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