German Tourist Dies in Shark Attack While Sailing in a Catamaran Off Spain’s Canary Islands

German Tourist Dies in Shark Attack While Sailing in a Catamaran Off Spain’s Canary Islands


A German tourist died after being bitten by a shark on Monday while sailing off Spain’s Canary Islands, according to the local coast guard.

The 30-year-old woman lost a leg in the attack and died of a heart attack later while being transported in a Spanish rescue helicopter, a coastguard spokesman told AFP.

The victim, who has not yet been identified, was sailing in a British catamaran in the Atlantic some 278 nautical miles (more than 500 kilometres) southwest of the island of Gran Canaria when the shark struck.

Spain’s emergency services received an alert at 1255 GMT calling for a medical evacuation. They then reached out to their Moroccon counterparts, which said they did not have suitable rescue equipment in the area.The emergency services then dispatched a military plane and helicopter to rescue the woman.

The woman was taken on board the helicopter in the evening around 1800 GMT and was bound for hospital in the Gran Canaria town of Las Palmas when she died, the spokesman said.

Boat-tracking website vesselfinder.com indicated that the boat, the Dalliance Chichester, had left the port of Las Palmas on September 14.

Shark attacks are extremely rare in the area, Atlantico Hoy reported, saying only six such attacks have been recorded in the area since records began in the 16th century.

Earlier this year, terrifying video footage showed a shark charging towards beachgoers on a beach in Gran Canaria.



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