German woman dies after shark attack near Canary Islands

By Jack Guy, CNN

(CNN) — A woman has died following a shark attack in the Atlantic Ocean near the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa.

The 31-year-old German national lost a leg in the attack, which took place on Monday, a spokesperson for Spain’s Guardia Civil told CNN on Wednesday.

She was transferred by helicopter to a hospital on the Canary island of Gran Canaria, where she died, the spokesperson added.

The shark attack took place 514 kilometers (319 miles) south-southwest of Gran Canaria and 180 kilometers (112 miles) west of the city of Dakhla, Western Sahara, a spokesperson for Spain’s sea search and rescue agency Sasemar, which responded to the incident, told CNN on Wednesday.

The woman suffered a heart attack after losing her leg, according to local media reports confirmed to CNN by Sasemar.

She was traveling on board a catamaran that sailed from the city of Las Palmas on Gran Canaria on Saturday, according to the reports.

Reuters reports that the woman was swimming beside the catamaran at the time of the attack.

Shark attacks near the Canary Islands are rare, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, with only six confirmed incidents on record.

The Canary Islands have long been a popular holiday destination, thanks to their temperate year-round climate.

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