French Tourist Killed by Rare Shark Attack in St. Martin

A 38-year-old vacationer was killed Thursday by a shark as she visited St. Martin, leaving many shocked as shark attacks on the island are rare, the Associated Press reported. The French woman, who hasn’t been identified, was swimming 500 feet from shore in Orient Bay when the attack happened. Her leg was torn from her body.

The last unprovoked, but non-fatal shark bite on the island came in 2005, the AP reported. There have been 34 unprovoked attacks in the region since 2000, killing four people.

The government put a 48-hour ban on swimming at all beaches after the attack

Program Director Gavin Naylor of the Florida Program for Shark Research told the AP that the attack was surprising.

"It's pretty unusual in that part of the world," he said.

Naylor added that the attack was mostly likely accidental, as many are, and tied to circumstances, including spearfishing or chumming. He also said shark attacks occur because of the high number of tourists visiting the Caribbean.

”We see a very strong correlation between shark bites and the number of people in the water," he said.

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