Attaque Requin Canaries: Details of the Tragic Incident

Tragic Shark Attack in the Canaries

A German tourist tragically died on Monday evening after being attacked by a shark approximately 500 kilometers from the Spanish archipelago of the Canaries, as announced by rescue services to AFP. The 30-year-old woman was bitten by a shark while sailing on a catamaran on Monday afternoon, 278 miles southwest of Gran Canaria island.

Details of the Incident

• The attack occurred in the Atlantic Ocean, off the African coast.
• The victim lost a leg during the incident while aboard the British catamaran Dalliance Chichester.
• Spanish rescue teams were alerted at 14:55 about the need for medical evacuation.
• After coordinating with Moroccan authorities, they dispatched a helicopter and an army aircraft to aid the catamaran crew.

While being evacuated, the victim suffered a cardiac arrest as she was being transferred to the hospital in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria's capital.

Shark Attack Statistics

According to specialized site vesselfinder.com, the Dalliance Chichester, a 17-meter pleasure craft, departed Las Palmas on Saturday, September 14. Shark attacks are very rare in this region. A study published in February by the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) noted a rise in shark bites worldwide in 2023, with 69 unprovoked bites compared to 63 in 2022. Of these attacks, more than half (36) occurred in the United States, resulting in 10 fatalities.