Shark bites leg off American tourist in Turks and Caicos: report

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An American tourist has lost her leg after being bitten by a shark while vacationing in Turks and Caicos, police say.

The 22-year-old female from Connecticut and a friend were snorkeling in the waters off Providenciales island Wednesday when they were attacked, The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force said in a statement posted to Instagram, that later appeared removed on Friday.

The statement added that a resort employee on the island "indicated that the female victim had her leg bitten off by a shark."

The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force and an ambulance responded to the scene. 

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The American tourist was snorkeling when she was bitten by a shark in Turks and Caicos, a report says. (Getty Images)

As of Wednesday night, the woman – who has not been publicly identified – was in serious condition at the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre on the island. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force for further comment. 

The reported attack in the Caribbean country comes days after a Pennsylvania teenager, surfing for the first time in South New Jersey over the weekend, suffered injuries authorities said are consistent with those of a shark attack. 

Fox 29 in Philadelphia reported that a 15-year-old girl was surfing in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, at 109th Street on Sunday afternoon when she was bitten. 

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The Turks and Caicos islands are a popular Caribbean vacation destination. Shown here are waters surrounding Grand Turk island. (iStock)

As soon as the incident happened, emergency teams rescued the girl from the water before transporting her to a nearby hospital. 

The injuries included lacerations to her foot and calf, requiring six stitches. None of her injuries were life-threatening. 

"After careful examination, it has been ascertained by the New Jersey State Southern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office that the injuries sustained by the surfer are consistent with those typically associated with a shark of unknown size and type," officials in Stone Harbor said. 

It is unknown what type of shark allegedly bit the teenager. 

A shark swims toward a group of divers during a shark dive off of Jupiter, Florida, in February 2022. It is unclear what kind of shark reportedly attacked the tourist in Turks and Caicos. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

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In Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a great white shark also was seen over the weekend eating a seal. 

"The entire event only lasted around 7 minutes from when we first saw the shark quickly break the surface of the water, in what we think was the initial strike, to when the seal was consumed," the Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch company posted on social media, describing the sighting by crew and passengers Saturday morning. 

Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.