Boston woman paddleboarding near Bahamas resort killed in shark attack, police say

A 44-year-old American visiting the Bahamas from Boston was killed in a shark attack while paddleboarding near a beach resort Monday, according to local authorities.

The woman had traveled to the Bahamas with a male relative, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a news release.

“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 release said.

A lifeguard at the resort noticed the attack and went into the water on a boat to try and rescue the victim along with the relative.

The lifeguard administered CPR to the woman, 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 said in a release.

Authorities haven’t released the woman’s identity.

The incident comes days after a woman was killed in an apparent shark attack at a Mexican resort. The woman was found dead by emergency services at the scene in Melaque Bay in the Cihuatlán municipality.

Despite their rarity, the attacks still happen on occasion. Last year, a cruise ship passenger was killed by a shark while snorkeling in the Bahamas. And in 2019, an American woman was also killed while snorkeling in the Bahamas after three different sharks attacked her.