A German tourist has died after being attacked by a rare shark while swimming with a catamaran off the northwest coast of the popular Canary Islands.
The unidentified 30-year-old woman was attacked by a shark while aboard a British-flagged catamaran that had set sail from Gran Canaria on Saturday, September 14.
One of her legs was bitten off during the attack, which happened shortly before 4pm local time.
Officials confirmed to Reuters that paramedics flew 320 miles to the scene of the attack to evacuate her, but she died from her injuries in the helicopter.
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A woman has died after being attacked by a shark while swimming near the Canary Islands. (Reinhard Dirschel/Ulstein Bild via Getty Images)
Following the incident, Spain's rescue service, Salvamento Marítimo, 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-related incidents in Spain's history.
According to ISAF, shark attacks are rare, with a total of 69 confirmed unprovoked attacks worldwide in 2023. Of those 69 incidents, 14 were fatal.
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File, there have been six confirmed shark-related incidents in Spain so far. (Ximena Borrazas/SOPA Images/LightRocket, Getty Images)
The report noted that shark attacks occur disproportionately in Australia, with 22 per cent of attacks occurring in the country.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Salvamento Maritimo for comment.
Reuters contributed to this report.
