Swimmer killed Monday in suspected shark attack off Maine vacation spot, state says
A woman swimming off the coast of Maine is believed to have been killed in a suspected shark attack Monday, according to a statement released Monday evening by the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
The identify of the woman was not released and the death remains under investigation.
"Until further notice, swimmers and boaters are urged to use caution near Bailey Island and to avoid swimming near schooling fish or seals," the state said in a Facebook post.
The woman was attacked near Bailey Island, a coastal community northwest of Portland that is popular with vacationers.
Two women were swimming together at around 3:30 p.m. "when one woman appeared to be flung up in the air by something from under water," News Center Maine said. First responders said the woman died "at the scene," the station reported.
"An eyewitness reported that the woman was swimming off the shore near White Sails Lane when she was injured in what appeared to be a shark attack," the Department of Marine Resources said in a Facebook post.
"Kayakers nearby brought her to shore and EMS responders were called to the scene where she was pronounced deceased. No other information is available at this time and the investigation into the incident is continuing."
Coastal Maine is known to attract great white sharks, which prey on seals.
The last fatal shark attack in the Northeast was in September 2018, when Arthur Medici of Revere, Massachusetts, was attacked off Newcomb Hollow Beach off Wellfleet, according to the National Park Service.
_The Charlotte Observer
