Boston Woman Killed in Shark Attack While Paddle Boarding Near Bahamas Resort

The victim, said to be in her mid-40s, was paddle boarding with a relative at the time of the incident

A woman from Boston was killed during a shark attack while vacationing in Nassau, Bahamas, on Monday, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

The unidentified victim, 44, was paddle boarding with a male relative at Sandals Royal Bahamian resort when the fatal incident occurred around 11:15 a.m. According to Boston’s WCVB 5, witnesses told local news outlets that the woman had gotten married on Sunday.

"Preliminary reports indicate that the victim, along with a male relative, was paddle boarding away from the shoreline in waters at the rear of a resort in western New Providence when she was bitten by a shark," the Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a statement to PEOPLE.

A nearby on-duty lifeguard witnessed the attack in progress and came to the aid of the woman and her relative by boat. The pair were brought back to shore, where the resort lifeguard performed CPR on the victim, police said.

"The victim suffered significant trauma to the right side of her body. She was examined on scene by emergency medical technicians, who concluded that she showed no vital signs of life," the police statement read.

She was declared dead after emergency responders were unable to detect vital signs.

Related: How to Prevent a Shark Attack and What to Do If Bitten? An American Lifeguard Association Expert Weighs In

It is unclear what type of shark was responsible for the fatal attack, and the investigation remains active and ongoing.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of a guest while on a paddle boarding activity nearly a mile from the shore," Sandals Royal Bahamian resort said in a statement to ABC News. "We wish to express our heartfelt condolences to the guest’s family and loved ones. We remain in close contact with them and are providing all support possible during this difficult time."

In February, the Florida Museum of Natural History noted that the "global total of unprovoked shark bites [was] significantly lower than average" in 2022, compared to previous years, in its 2022 International Shark Attack File.

“The 2022 worldwide total of 57 confirmed unprovoked cases is lower than the most recent five-year (2017-2021) average of 70 incidents annually," the report notes. "There were nine shark-related fatalities this year, five of which are assigned as unprovoked.”

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In recent years, two other fatal shark attacks involving American tourists in the Bahamas have made headlines. Both incidents were near Rose Island.

Last September, a 58-year-old woman from Pennsylvania was killed by a bull shark while snorkeling in the Bahamas. The victim, Caroline DiPlacido, was in the area for a week-long cruise at the time of the incident.

California resident Jordan Lindsey, 21, was killed while snorkeling with her mother when at least three sharks began biting her, her father, Michael Lindsey, told ABC News in June 2019.

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