Newlywed from Boston dies in shark attack while rowing with husband in Bahamas: witnesses

A newlywed from Boston was killed by a shark while vacationing in the Bahamas on Monday, according to local police.

The 44-year-old woman was paddle boarding with a male relative about three-quarters of a mile offshore when the shark suddenly bit her around 11:15 a.m. in New Providence, Bahamian police said.

A lifeguard witnessed the attack from the beach at the Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort and rushed toward the couple in a boat to rescue them, police spokesman Sgt. Desiree Ferguson told reporters.

The guard took them both to shore, where they performed CPR on the woman.

However, he suffered “serious injuries to the right side of his body,” including the hip area and upper extremity, Ferguson said.

The woman was rowing with a male relative when she was attacked. REUTERS/Dante Carrer

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and her body was carried off the beach. The woman’s identity was not immediately released.

Witnesses told local media that the woman had just gotten married and that the man she was rowing with was her boyfriend, but police could not immediately confirm whether the couple were newlyweds.

“We express our deepest condolences … for this very unfortunate situation,” Ferguson said during a news conference.

The victim was seriously injured on the right side of his body and died at the scene. REUTERS

A jet ski operator told the Nassau Guardian that he saw the attack from the shore.

“It was crazy because… I saw them leaving the beach,” he said of the couple. “They were laughing and talking.”

When he looked back, he only saw the man on his board.

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“When I saw it was just the guy standing on the board, I said he must have fallen,” he said. “Then you could hear his faint cries for help.”

Monday’s attack was the second shark attack in the Bahamas in almost two weeks. REUTERS

The woman’s death is the second shark attack in the Bahamas (where such attacks are quite rare) in just under two weeks.

On November 21, a 47-year-old German woman went missing after encountering a shark during a dive in West End, Grand Bahama.

In September 2022, a 58-year-old American woman died after being attacked by a shark while snorkeling with her family off the coast of New Providence.

Gavin Naylor, program director of the International Shark Attack File in Florida, told Boston.com that sharks in the area may have become accustomed to tourists gawking at them from boats and the beach.

“So the sharks acclimatize and the animals are a little less cautious than they might otherwise be,” Naylor said.

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Source: vtt.edu.vn

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