A German tourist has been killed in a rare shark attack near the Canary Islands while swimming alongside her double-hulled boat off the north-west coast of the popular tourist destination.
The unidentified 30-year-old woman was sailing on a British-flagged catamaran that had left Gran Canaria on Saturday, September 14, when she was attacked by the shark.
One of her legs was bitten off during the attack, which happened just before 4 p.m. local time.
Authorities confirmed to Reuters that emergency personnel flew 320 miles to the site of the attack to evacuate her, but she died from the wounds she sustained in the helicopter.
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A woman has died after being attacked by a shark while swimming near the Canary Islands. (Reinhard Dirscherl/Ulstein Bild via Getty Images)
After the incident, the Spanish Maritime Rescue Service investigated the attack.
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According to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File (ISAF), the organization has recorded only six confirmed shark incidents in Spain’s history.
Shark attacks are rare, with 69 unprovoked attacks expected worldwide in 2023, the International Security Assistance Force said. Of those 69, 14 were fatal.
Spain has had six confirmed shark-related incidents in its history, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File. (Ximena Borrazas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The report noted that shark attacks occur disproportionately in Australia, with 22% of attacks occurring on its territory.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the rescue ship for comment.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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