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German tourist dies after shark attack off Canary Islands

September 18, 2024

The 30-year-old was attacked some 500 kilometers off the coast of Gran Canaria. She lost a leg in the attack and suffered a heart attack before a Spanish rescure helicopter could get her to hospital.

https://p.dw.com/p/4kjoy
Great white shark, carcharodon carcharias, has its mouth open showing its teeth as it swims at the surface of False Bay in South Africa
Shark attacks are rare off the Canary IslandsImage: G. Lacz /imagebroker/IMAGO

A German tourist died after being attacked by a shark off Spain's Canary Islands, the local coastguard said Tuesday.

The 30-year-old woman was sailing off the Spanish Islands, before being bitten by a shark, Spanish media reported.

The woman lost a leg in the attack, before suffering a heart attack while being on a Spanish rescue helicopter.

She was bound for hospital in Las Palmas when she died, the coastguard spokesman said.

Spanish outlet Atlantico Hoy reported Spain's emergency services had contacted their Moroccan counterparts, which said they did not have suitable rescue equipment in the area.

Shark attacks in the Canary Islands region

The woman was sailing in a catamaran some 278 nautical miles (more than 500 kilometers) southwest of the island of Gran Canaria when the shark struck.

According to boat-tracking website vesselfinder.com, the boat, the Dalliance Chichester, 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.

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ftm/jsi (AFP)