A woman was killed in an apparent shark attack off the coast of the northeastern US state of Maine.
A witness saw the woman swimming off the shore of Bailey Island on Monday afternoon when she was injured in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack by a shark.
Two kayakers helped the person get to shore and an ambulance provided further assistance, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, Marine Marine Patrol said.
The authorities, have not named the victim, continue to investigate the death. “No other information is available at this time and the investigation into the incident is continuing,” said Maine Department of Marine Resources.
The state’s marine patrol is urging swimmers and boaters to use caution near Bailey Island and to avoid swimming near schooling fish or seals.
There has only been one recorded unprovoked shark attack in Maine, according to New England shark expert James Sulikowski.
Mr Sulikowski, a researcher at Arizona State University told the Portland Press Herald it was possible the shark mistook the person for food. “We can easily be mistaken for a seal … as a shark’s dinner,” he said.
The International Shark Attack File, an international database, has only listed one unprovoked attack in the state. The 2010 incident reportedly saw an commercial diver attacked by a porbeagle shark but escape unharmed.
Earlier this month, a woman believed to have been making a documentary about sharks was bitten by one off the coast off Queensland, Australia.
She declared, “I still love sharks – sharks are beautiful,” as she was taken to hospital for treatment.
