A shark has attacked two American tourists in the Bahamas, with one suffering “serious” injuries, according to local officials.
The unidentified women were swimming together off Bimini Bay at about 6:30 p.m. Friday when the predator struck, according to Loop Caribbean News.
After being rushed to a local clinic, the two tourists were then airlifted to nearby New Providence for more advanced care, the outlet said, without detailing the exact nature of their injuries or the type of shark thought to be responsible.
“Initial reports indicate that the victims, both USA residents, sustained injuries,” the Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a social media post.
“One of the victim’s injuries [are] listed as serious,” the post continued. “Investigations are ongoing.”
Shark attacks are relatively rare for the island nation: In the last four centuries, there have been only 34 confirmed attacks there, according to CBS News.
Still, that mark is the ninth-highest in the world.
Sharks have bitten at least two other Americans in the Bahamas since 2023, including a Massachusetts woman who died during an attack in December of that year, CBS said.
The following month, a 10-year-old Maryland boy was bitten on the leg during a shark tank expedition at a Bahamian resort, sending him to the hospital.
