A 30-year-old German tourist died Monday night after being attacked by a shark while she was about 500 kilometers (310 miles) off the Spanish Canary Islands. The attack happened while the victim was sailing a catamaran in the Atlantic Ocean, 278 miles (about 500 km) southwest of Gran Canaria.
She was sailing on a catamaran and it was during this sea trip that a shark attacked her, tearing off one of her legs. The Spanish emergency services were alerted at 2:55 p.m. to carry out a “medical evacuation”. After consulting the Moroccan authorities, they decided to send a helicopter and a Spanish army plane to rescue the crew of the catamaran.
Cardiac arrest during evacuation
The victim was transported on board the helicopter at around 8pm, but unfortunately, she died of cardiac arrest during the evacuation to the hospital in Las Palmas. Rescue workers said she did not survive her injuries despite the efforts made to save her.
This type of incident is extremely rare in this region, where shark attacks are generally infrequent. However, a recent study, published in February by the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) at the University of Florida in the United States, revealed an increase in shark attacks in 2023, with 69 “unprovoked” bites recorded worldwide, compared to 63 in 2022.
The United States, the country most affected
Of these attacks, more than half took place in the United States. The study also reports that these attacks caused the deaths of 10 people: four in Australia, two in the United States, and one each in the Bahamas, Egypt, Mexico and New Caledonia.
In its study, ISAF distinguishes between so-called “unprovoked” attacks, which are bites that occur without any intentional human interaction with the shark, and “provoked” attacks, which occur after a human intentionally approaches the shark or swims into an area where bait is used to attract fish.