A Connecticut woman is in serious condition in a Turks and Caicos hospital after a shark bit off one of her legs, officials announced Wednesday.
The woman, 22, had been snorkeling with a friend off the coast of the Turks and Caicos islands when the shark attacked her, the Royal Turks and Caicos Police said on social media.
The attack happened in the waters outside the Blue Haven Resort on the island of Providenciales, part of Turks and Caicos.
An employee of the resort called for an ambulance around 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, and during the call, they indicated the “victim had her leg bitten off by a shark,” law enforcement said on Instagram.
The woman was transported to Cheshire Hall Medical Centre on Providenciales.
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How common are shark attacks?
The total number of shark attacks around the world is “extremely low” when considering how many people swim or do activities in the ocean each year, the Florida Museum of Natural History says.
Most people who were bitten by a shark were swimming, wading or surfing in the ocean, data show.
In 2022, the number of unprovoked shark attacks was down slightly from previous years’ average of 70, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File.
In 2022, there were 57 unprovoked shark attacks, of which five were fatal.
There were 32 provoked shark bites, which occurred when people are bitten after “harassing,” trying to touch sharks, trying to feed sharks or removing a fishing hook from a shark, the university’s data says.
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US has most unprovoked shark bites in the world
The U.S. leads among all countries for the most unprovoked shark bites, according to the University of Florida.
Of the 57 unprovoked bites in 2022, 41 happened in the U.S.
Within the U.S., Florida had the most unprovoked shark bites of any state in 2022, with 16 bites.
