A shark has killed a newlywed who was paddle boarding at a Sandals resort in the Bahamas, just one day after her wedding.
The woman, who remains unidentified, lost her life on Monday morning, Dec. 4, at 11.15am local time.
The incident occurred just a stone’s throw from the luxurious Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort.
According to local news, the victim was accompanied by a male relative, believed to be her husband. Her paddleboard was pictured floating in the water afterwards.
The victim sustained horrific injuries on the right side of her body, and attempts to revive her with CPR were unsuccessful.
WCVB reported that she had only gotten married the day before the attack. Shocking images and footage circulated later depicted the lifeless body of the victim being transported back to the shore on a stretcher, before being loaded into an ambulance.
Royal Bahamian Police Sergeant Desiree Ferguson told reporters: “Shortly after 11.15 a.m. police were notified that a female visitor from Boston, Massachusetts, USA was attacked by a shark.
“According to our initial reports, the female along, with a male relative were paddle boarding just at the rear of a resort in Western New Providence, some 3/4 miles out from the shoreline when she was bitten by the shark.
“A lifeguard on duty who saw what was happening went out in a rescue boat, retrieved the victim, along with the male relative and brought them to safety CPR was administered to the victim.
“However she suffered serious injuries to the right side of her body, including the right hip region and also her right upper limb. Emergency Medical Services responded to this scene they thoroughly assessed the victim and they declared that she show she showed no vital signs of life.”
A jet ski operator told the Nassau Guardian that he saw the attack from the shore. “It was crazy because… I watched them push out from the beach,” he said of the pair.
“They were laughing and talking.” When he looked back, she was nowhere to be seen.
“When I saw it was only the guy standing on the board, I said she must have fallen off,” he said. “Then you could actually hear the faint shouts of him screaming for help.”
She added that it took a couple of hours to bring the woman in, before they brought a wheelchair to collect the man believed to be her husband.
Police said a lifeguard used a boat to save both individuals after noticing the situation, but the woman sustained severe injuries to her right side and was pronounced dead at the location despite attempts to revive her with CPR.
It was not immediately clear what type of shark attacked the woman, although tiger sharks and bull sharks are known to live off the coast of the Bahamas.
