A 22-year-old Connecticut woman suffered a shark attack that ripped off her leg while she and a friend were snorkeling in the Turks and Caicos Islands, local police said.
The woman, who has not been identified, was taken to Cheshire Hall Medical Center in serious condition, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police said in an Instagram post. statement.
Police said the woman and her friend were snorkeling just after 3 p.m. Wednesday outside a resort near the Leeward Marina on Providenciales, one of the islands, when she was attacked. However, a resort spokesperson said the woman was not a guest and the incident had nothing to do with the resort or Leeward Marina.
«It is our understanding that she was a guest at another resort and a client of a boat tour company, which we are not affiliated with or located nearby,» spokeswoman Stephanie Mack said in a statement.
Authorities said an employee at a resort located near the Leeward Marina called police about the shark attack and requested an ambulance. The employee indicated that the woman had been bitten on the leg by a shark, according to the police statement.
The police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.