A Boston woman was killed during a shark attack while vacationing in Nassau, Bahamas on Monday, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
The unidentified victim, 44, was paddle boarding with a male relative at the Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort when the fatal incident occurred around 11:15am. According to Boston’s WCVB 5, witnesses told local news outlets that the woman got married on Sunday.
“Preliminary reports indicate that the victim, along with a male relative, was paddleboarding far from shore in the waters at the rear of the resort in West New Providence when she was bitten by a shark,” the Royal Bahamas Police Force said. statement to PEOPLE.
shark swimming.
Getty
A nearby lifeguard on duty witnessed the attack and came to the aid of the woman and her relatives in a boat. The couple was brought back to shore, where a lifeguard at the resort performed CPR on the victim, police said.
“The victim sustained significant injuries on the right side of her body. She was examined at the scene by emergency medical service technicians who concluded that she was not showing vital signs of life,” the police statement reads.
She was pronounced dead after paramedics could not detect vital signs.
How to prevent a shark attack and what to do in case of a bite? An expert from the American Lifeguard Association gives his opinion
It is unclear what type of shark was responsible for the fatal attack, and the investigation remains active and ongoing.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of a guest while on a paddle board nearly a mile offshore,” the Sandals Royal Bahamian resort said in a statement to ABC News. “We would like to express our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the guest. We remain in close contact with them and provide all possible support at this difficult time.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2)/bahamas-beach-120423-7b9a3a82bfcf41dabf82f882fbd8d72f.jpg)
Resort in the Bahamas.
Getty
In February, the Florida Museum of Natural History noted that “the global total of unprovoked shark bites [was] significantly lower than average” in 2022, compared to previous years, in its International Document on Shark Attacks 2022.
“The 2022 global total of 57 confirmed unprovoked cases is lower than the most recent five-year (2017-2021) average of 70 incidents per year,” the report said. “There have been nine shark-related deaths this year, five of which have been assigned as unprovoked.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
In recent years, two fatal shark attacks on American tourists in the Bahamas have made headlines. Both incidents occurred near Rose Island.
Last September, a 58-year-old woman from Pennsylvania was killed by a bull shark while snorkeling in the Bahamas. The victim, Caroline DiPlacido, was in the area on a week-long cruise at the time of the incident.
Jordan Lindsey, a 21-year-old California resident, was killed while snorkeling with her mother when at least three sharks began biting her, her father, Michael Lindsey, told ABC News in June 2019.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education