2 Americans injured in suspected shark attack in the Bahamas: Police
Two Americans were injured, one seriously, in a suspected shark attack in the Bahamas, police said.
The two female tourists were swimming in Bimini Bay on Friday around 6:30 p.m. when the incident occurred, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said over the weekend.
"Initial reports indicate that the victims, both U.S.A. residents, sustained injuries while swimming in the waters at Bimini Bay," police said.
Both women sustained injuries to their lower bodies, with one of the victims injured seriously, police said.
They both were initially treated at a local clinic before being airlifted to New Providence for further medical attention, police said.
Both have since returned to the U.S., Bahamian officials said Monday.
One of the victims will require a third surgery to repair the damage to her leg, her family told ABC News. She will undergo the surgery in the Orlando, Florida, area, her family said.
The incident remains under investigation.
Shark attacks are exceedingly rare. There were 69 unprovoked shark bites recorded around the world in 2023, according to the most recent yearly research conducted by the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File.
Of those, one of them occurred in the Bahamas and was deadly, according to the report. In that incident, a 44-year-old woman from Massachusetts was killed by a shark while paddleboarding near the back of the Sandals resort, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
ABC News' Anselm Gibbs and Alondra Valle contributed to this report.
