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A shark attacked and killed a Pennsylvania mother on vacation in the Bahamas

A bull shark attacked and killed a 58-year-old mother of three from Erie, Pennsylvania, who was snorkeling with her family in the Bahamas, officials say.

The victim, Caroline DiPlacido, was employed at Gannon University, where, for 13 years, she worked as a project coordinator for Gannon’s Office of Community and Government Relations.

Police said the victim and her family had arrived in the Bahamas the morning of Sept. 6. They set out on a tour with a local snorkel excursion company that afternoon. The attack occurred while the group was snorkeling near Green Cay, in the waters northwest of Rose Island in the Bahamas.

During a press conference on Sept. 6, Royal Bahamas Police Force Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said that sometime around 2 p.m., DiPlacido's family witnessed her being attacked by a bull shark. They were unable to fend off the shark before it inflicted "serious injuries to the left side of her body." 

Soon after the attack, DiPlacido's family and an operator of the excursion company pulled her aboard and took her to the closest docking facility.

Skippings said that emergency responders had come to the scene but “confirmed no vital signs of life” at the time.

Skippings added that they are investigating DiPlacido's death and that the particular beach where she was attacked had been closed off to any type of snorkeling activities. She did not know if or when it would be reopened.

On Sunday, Sept. 4, DiPlacido and her family took sail on a seven-night cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida. They sailed as guests with  Harmony of the Seas , a cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean confirmed the tourist's death in a statement provided to NBC News.

"While on an independent shore excursion in Nassau, Bahamas, a guest sailing on Harmony of the Seas experienced injuries from a shark," the statement reads. "After arriving at a local hospital for treatment, the guest passed away from their injuries. Royal Caribbean is providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time."

In a statement to the campus community obtained by NBC News, Gannon University remembered DiPlacido.

“Along with her efforts to further the mission of Erie-GAINS and Our West Bayfront, Caroline was a powerful presence of kindness and friendship to colleagues, students, and the wider community and cherished many family ties to Gannon. The news is devastating, and she will be missed.”

The statement added, "Let us remember Caroline with affection and hope."

According to  National Geographic , bull sharks are typically known for living in high-population areas. Experts consider them to be the world’s most dangerous sharks.  They're able to live in both saltwater and freshwater, which enables them to migrate into river systems and estuaries.

Editor’s Note (Sept. 8, 2022, at 8 a.m. ET): This story has been updated to reflect the name of the woman killed by the shark, her place of employment and that she was a mother of three.

Alex Portée is a senior trending reporter at TODAY Digital and is based in Los Angeles.

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Shark attacks and kills Pennsylvania woman snorkeling in the Bahamas, officials say

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A shark attacked and killed a U.S. cruise ship passenger who was snorkeling in waters around the Bahamas on Tuesday, authorities said.

The incident involved a 58-year-old woman from Pennsylvania and occurred at a popular snorkeling spot near Green Cay in the northern Bahamas, police spokeswoman Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told The Associated Press.

“It’s unfortunate,” she said.

Skippings said the woman’s family identified it as a bull shark.

Royal Caribbean International said in a statement to the AP that the woman died after arriving at a local hospital for treatment and that the company is helping her loved ones. They said the guest was on an independent shore excursion in Nassau and had been sailing on Harmony of the Seas, which is on a seven-night trip after departing Florida on Sunday.

Summer of sharks: Has there been an uptick in attacks? Here's what we know   

Most shark attacks in the Caribbean have occurred in the Bahamas. Two were reported in 2019, one of them fatal. That incident involved a Southern California woman who was on vacation and was attacked by three sharks near Rose Island, just a half mile from the site of Tuesday’s attack.

In December 2020, a fatal shark attack was reported in the French Caribbean territory of St. Martin, the first such incident in that region.

Overall, at least 32 shark attacks have been reported in the Bahamas since 1749 and 13 attacks in Cuba during that time period, including one in 2019, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.

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Michael Heithaus, a marine biologist at Florida International University in Miami, said in a phone interview that the high number of attacks in the Bahamas is probably the result of a lot of people in the water in that area and a robust marine ecosystem.

He said the Bahamas has a variety of shark species, the majority of which do not pay attention to people, except for bull sharks and tiger sharks.

“They get to very large sizes, and they eat big prey,” Heithaus said, adding that sharks have incredible sensory systems and can be attracted to food, sounds and smells in the water.

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But overall, shark attacks are rare, he said.

Worldwide, there were 137 shark attacks last year, 73 of them unprovoked, according to the International Shark Attack File.

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Pennsylvania woman attacked and killed by a shark while snorkeling in the Bahamas

By Madison Selcho

A 58-year-old woman was attacked and killed by a shark while snorkeling on a cruise vacation in the Bahamas. The woman, whose name was not released, was snorkeling off the coast of Nassau in Green Cay when she was attacked by a bull shark.

NBC News reported that the woman was a passenger on the Royal Caribbean ship Harmony of the Seas and was traveling with her family, who had planned to snorkel at a popular spot in the area, according to Royal Bahamas Police Force Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings.

CNN reported that eyewitnesses said they saw a shark attacking the woman and immediately went to help. By the time they got to her, the woman had suffered bites to her “upper extremities,” Skippings said.

Tour company workers and family members pulled the woman out of the water and rushed to the nearest dock, where paramedics began to treat her. The paramedics reported no vital signs of life as they got her to shore, brought her to the hospital and began to treat her, according to The Associated Press .

The cruise line made a statement after the attack, saying, “Royal Caribbean is providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time.”

The Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida reported that bull sharks are the most commonly known sharks to make unprovoked attacks on humans. The last recorded shark attacks in the Bahamas were two separate attacks reported in 2019 where one was attacked by Rose Island that is about a half mile from Green Cay.

Michael Heithaus, a marine biologist at Florida International University in Miami, said in an Associated Press phone interview that the high number of attacks in this region is linked to a high number of people in a “robust marine ecosystem.”

Heithaus explained that there are many different types of sharks that swim in those waters, but only the bull and tiger sharks really pay attention to people.

“They get to very large sizes and they eat big prey,” Heithaus said.

Heithaus also added that bull and tiger sharks are more likely to be attracted toward people through different factors including smells in the water, food and even sounds. Despite these factors, Heithaus also emphasized that shark attacks are rare.

According to the International Shark Attack File , there were 73 unprovoked shark attacks out of a total of 137 attacks last year.

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Police: Shark kills US tourist snorkeling in Bahamas

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A shark attacked and killed a U.S. cruise ship passenger who was snorkeling in waters around the Bahamas on Tuesday, according to authorities.

The incident involved a 58-year-old woman from Pennsylvania and occurred at a popular snorkeling spot near Green Cay in the northern Bahamas, police spokeswoman Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told The Associated Press.

“It’s unfortunate,” she said.

Skippings said the woman’s family identified it as a bull shark.

Royal Caribbean International said in a statement to the AP that the person died after arriving at a local hospital for treatment and that the company is helping their loved ones. They said the guest was participating in an independent shore excursion in Nassau and had been sailing on Harmony of the Seas, which is on a seven-night trip after departing Florida on Sunday.

The majority of shark attacks in the Caribbean have occurred in the Bahamas, with two reported in 2019, one of them fatal. That incident involved a Southern California woman who was on vacation and was attacked by three sharks near Rose Island, located just a half mile from where Tuesday’s attacked occurred.

In December 2020, a fatal shark attack was reported in the French Caribbean territory of St. Martin, the first such incident in that region.

Overall, at least 32 shark attacks have been reported in the Bahamas since 1749, followed by 13 attacks in Cuba during that time period, including one in 2019, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.

Michael Heithaus, a marine biologist at Florida International University in Miami, said in a phone interview that the high number of attacks in the Bahamas is likely linked to the fact that there are a lot of people in the water in that area and that it has a robust marine ecosystem.

He said the Bahamas has a variety of shark species, the majority of which do not pay attention to people, except for bull sharks and tiger sharks.

“They get to very large sizes, and they eat big prey,” Heithaus said, adding that sharks have incredible sensory systems and can be attracted to food, sounds and smells in the water.

But overall, shark attacks remain rare, he stressed.

Worldwide, there were 137 shark attacks last year, 73 of them unprovoked, according to the International Shark Attack File.

Passenger on cruise ship out of Port Canaveral attacked and killed by shark in the Bahamas

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A woman on a cruise ship that departed from Port Canaveral Sunday was killed by a shark in the Bahamas Tuesday, according to law enforcement authorities.

The incident involved a 58-year-old woman from Pennsylvania and occurred at a popular snorkeling spot near Green Cay in the northern Bahamas, police spokeswoman Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told The Associated Press. Skippings said the woman’s family identified it as a bull shark.

The attack occurred Tuesday while on an "independent shore excursion" in Nassau, according to Royal Caribbean International. 

"Sadly, the guest passed away after arriving at a local hospital for treatment," a Royal Caribbean International representative told FLORIDA TODAY. "Royal Caribbean International is providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones at this time."

The ship, Harmony of the Sea, is continuing on its seven-night journey.

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The majority of shark attacks in the Caribbean have occurred in the Bahamas, with two reported in 2019, one of them fatal. That incident involved a Southern California woman who was on vacation and was attacked by three sharks near Rose Island, located just a half mile from where Tuesday’s attacked occurred.

In December 2020, a fatal shark attack was reported in the French Caribbean territory of St. Martin, the first such incident in that region.

Overall, at least 32 shark attacks have been reported in the Bahamas since 1749, followed by 13 attacks in Cuba during that time period, including one in 2019, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.

Michael Heithaus, a marine biologist at Florida International University in Miami, said that the high number of attacks in the Bahamas is likely linked to the fact that there are a lot of people in the water in that area and that it has a robust marine ecosystem.

He said the Bahamas has a variety of shark species, the majority of which do not pay attention to people, except for bull sharks and tiger sharks.

“They get to very large sizes, and they eat big prey,” Heithaus said, adding that sharks have incredible sensory systems and can be attracted to food, sounds and smells in the water.

But overall, shark attacks remain rare, he stressed.

Worldwide, there were 137 shark attacks last year, 73 of them unprovoked, according to the International Shark Attack File.

Finch Walker contribututed to this report.

Finch Walker is a Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or   [email protected] . Twitter:  @_ finchwalker

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Cruise ship passenger killed by shark while snorkeling in the bahamas.

“They get to very large sizes, and they eat big prey,” Heithaus said, adding that sharks have incredible sensory systems and can be attracted to food, sounds, and smells in the water.

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American cruise ship passenger killed by shark in bahamas.

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A guest on a Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas cruise was killed while on an excursion in the Bahamas Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the company. According to NBC News , Royal Bahamas police said the guest was a 58-year-old Pennsylvania woman that had gone snorkeling with friends when a bull shark attacked her at about 2 p.m. at Green Cay.

Family members witnessed the attack and helped the tour operator pull her out of the water. CNN reports the woman has suffered injuries to her "upper extremities."

She had no signs of life after the attack and died before arriving at the hospital, the Royal Caribbean spokesperson said.

WICU , sourcing an Erie, Pennsylvania, university, identified the victim as Caroline DiPlacido. She was reportedly a project coordinator for the school's Office of Community and Government Relations, Erie Campus.

"Caroline was a powerful presence of kindness and friendship to colleagues, students, and the wider community and cherished many family ties to Gannon. The news is devastating, and she will be missed. We pray for Caroline as she crosses over to eternity. We pray for her husband, David, her children, David, Robert and Allison, her mother, Olivia, and her wider family. Let us remember Caroline with affection and hope," a statement from Gannon University reads.

The ship sailed out Sept. 4 from Port Canaveral. It was a seven-night cruise.

"It's just an unfortunate situation," Royal Bahamas Police Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said.

Skippings said DiPlacido's family identified the animal as a bull shark.

The area was roped off and closed indefinitely to snorkelers.

"Royal Caribbean is providing support and assistance to the guest's loved ones during this difficult time," a statement from the cruise line said.

Officials say the death will not impact the Harmony of the Seas' itinerary, meaning it will not be returning early.

The majority of shark attacks in the Caribbean have occurred in the Bahamas, with two reported in 2019, one of them fatal. That incident involved a Southern California woman who was on vacation and was attacked by three sharks near Rose Island, located just a half mile from where Tuesday’s attack occurred.

Overall, at least 32 shark attacks have been reported in the Bahamas since 1749, followed by 13 attacks in Cuba during that time period, including one in 2019, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.

Shark attacks as a whole remain extremely rare. In 2021, there were 73 confirmed unprovoked shark attack cases worldwide.

Watch CBS News

Woman from Boston killed in shark attack while paddle boarding in Bahamas

By Caitlin O'Kane

Updated on: December 5, 2023 / 5:38 PM EST / CBS News

A woman from Boston died after she was attacked by a shark while paddle boarding with a family member in the Bahamas on Monday, police said at a news conference. The woman and male relative were paddle boarding at a resort about three-quarters of a mile away from the shore when she was bitten by the shark, said Royal Bahamas Police Force spokesperson Sergeant Desiree Ferguson. 

A lifeguard on duty who saw the incident went out in a boat to rescue the pair, Ferguson said. 

"CPR was administered to the victim. However, she suffered serious injuries to the right side of her body, including the right hip region and also her right upper limb," Ferguson said.  

The victim was declared dead after emergency responders determined she showed no vital signs. Bahamas police later said she was identified as 44-year-old Lauren Erickson Van Wart.

The attack comes just one day after a 26-year-old woman died after she was bitten by a shark in Mexico as she swam with her young daughter.

Shark attacks are rare in the Bahamas, but several have been reported in recent months.  

Last month, a 47-year-old German woman went missing during a diving trip off West End, Grand Bahama, after encountering a shark, Reuters reported, citing police.  

In June, a woman from Iowa was attacked by a shark while scuba diving in the Bahamas, resulting in her leg being amputated .

In September 2022, another tourist from the U.S. was killed by a shark in the Bahamas while snorkeling. The 58-year-old woman from Pennsylvania was a passenger on the Harmony of the Seas cruise ship and was taking part in an excursion at a popular spot near Green Cay when she was attacked by a bull shark. She was transported to a local hospital, where she died. 

More than 50 species of sharks are found along the East Coast and in the Caribbean Sea, including tiger, hammerhead and Caribbean reef sharks, according to NOAA. 

According to the  International Shark Attack File , there were 108 alleged shark-human interactions in 2022 worldwide. The U.S. reported the most  confirmed unprovoked attacks  — 41 — with Florida being the state with the most at 16.

• Shark Attack

Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.

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Cruise Passenger Attacked, Killed By Shark While Snorkeling In the Bahamas

Richard Simms

• September 6, 2022

Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) confirmed Tuesday that one of its guests had been killed following a shark attack in the Bahamas.

Where the Shark Attack Took Place

One family’s vacation was marred by tragedy when a 58-year-old woman was attacked by a bull shark while on a snorkeling excursion. The incident occurred at a popular destination known as Green Cay, just off the shore of Rose Island, at approximately 2 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. The woman was rushed to the hospital but did not survive the injuries she had sustained.

According to NBC News , approximately 5-7 other people were snorkeling with the unidentified woman. During a news conference, Royal Bahamas Police Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said that family members had witnessed the attack and helped to pull the victim from the water. She was then taken by boat to Fort Montagu Hospital.

Bull sharks — which typically run between 7.5 and 11 feet in length — are naturally aggressive. Because they favor shallow, coastal waters (as do snorkelers), they are the type of shark most often associated with attacks on humans.

Royal Caribbean Offering Family Support

In confirming the news, Royal Caribbean said that the woman had been a passenger aboard Harmony of the Seas , which is in the midst of a seven-night sailing out of Port Canaveral, Florida. The cruise line indicated that the woman was on an independent shore excursion, meaning one that was not sold through or sanctioned by the line itself. This is, of course, not at all uncommon, as many cruise guests — no matter the destination — often make plans with independent contractors.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean Group added that they were “providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time.”

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Police: shark kills us tourist snorkeling in bahamas.

The victim was a 58-year-old woman from Pennsylvania, authorities say.

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A shark attacked and killed a U.S. cruise ship passenger who was snorkeling in waters around the Bahamas on Tuesday, according to authorities.

Pa. woman killed in shark attack: Click the video player above to watch the report.

The incident involved 58-year-old Caroline DiPlacido from Erie, Pennsylvania, and occurred at a popular snorkeling spot near Green Cay in the northern Bahamas, police spokeswoman Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told The Associated Press.

“It’s unfortunate,” she said.

Skippings said the DiPlacido's family identified it as a bull shark.

Royal Caribbean International said in a statement to the AP that the person died after arriving at a local hospital for treatment and that the company is helping their loved ones. They said the guest was participating in an independent shore excursion in Nassau and had been sailing on Harmony of the Seas, which is on a seven-night trip after departing Florida on Sunday.

The majority of shark attacks in the Caribbean have occurred in the Bahamas, with two reported in 2019, one of them fatal. That incident involved a Southern California woman who was on vacation and was attacked by three sharks near Rose Island, located just a half mile from where Tuesday’s attacked occurred.

In December 2020, a fatal shark attack was reported in the French Caribbean territory of St. Martin, the first such incident in that region.

Overall, at least 32 shark attacks have been reported in the Bahamas since 1749, followed by 13 attacks in Cuba during that time period, including one in 2019, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.

Michael Heithaus, a marine biologist at Florida International University in Miami, said in a phone interview that the high number of attacks in the Bahamas is likely linked to the fact that there are a lot of people in the water in that area and that it has a robust marine ecosystem.

He said the Bahamas has a variety of shark species, the majority of which do not pay attention to people, except for bull sharks and tiger sharks.

“They get to very large sizes, and they eat big prey,” Heithaus said, adding that sharks have incredible sensory systems and can be attracted to food, sounds and smells in the water.

But overall, shark attacks remain rare, he stressed.

Worldwide, there were 137 shark attacks last year, 73 of them unprovoked, according to the International Shark Attack File.

US woman killed in shark attack while paddleboarding in Bahamas: Police

The victim, who was not identified, was attacked less than a mile off the western end of new providence island, where the capital, nassau, is located, by ap • published december 4, 2023 • updated on december 4, 2023 at 11:16 pm.

A female tourist from Boston was killed Monday by a shark while paddleboarding in the Bahamas, police told reporters.

The victim, who was not identified, was attacked less than a mile off the western end of New Providence island, where the capital, Nassau, is located. She was paddleboarding with a man who was not injured, according to Police Sgt. Desiree Ferguson.

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“We extend our heartfelt condolences…for this most unfortunate situation,” she said.

Police said a lifeguard rescued both people with a boat upon seeing what was happening, but the woman suffered serious injuries to the right side of her body and was declared dead at the scene despite CPR efforts.

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It was not immediately clear what type of shark attacked the woman. A police superintendent did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.

Gavin Naylor, program director of the International Shark Attack File in Florida, said in an interview that there have been a couple of shark-related fatalities reported in the Bahamas in the past five years.

He noted that the Bahamas has a "huge" tourist population, adding that there are a lot of people in the water and a lot of visitors who want to view sharks from a fishing boat or dive with them.

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“So the sharks get acclimated, and the animals are a little bit less cautious than they otherwise might be,” he said.

Between 30 to 40 shark species live around the Bahamas, although the Caribbean reef shark, the bull shark, the tiger shark and the black tip shark have the highest bite frequency, Naylor said.

“Usually, it’s an accidental bite. They think it’s something else,” he said. “Once in a while, they’ll actually single out people, and it’s very intentional.”

Fatal shark attacks are rare, with only an average of five to six reported worldwide a year, most of them occurring in Australia, Naylor said. Last year, there were a total of 57 unprovoked bites around the globe, the majority of them in the U.S., according to the International Shark Attack File.

At least 33 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks have been reported in the Bahamas since 1580, with the island ranking ninth worldwide, according to the file.

The Nassau Guardian newspaper reported that authorities in the Bahamas are still searching for a German woman who went missing late last month after she was apparently attacked while diving.

Last year, a shark killed a U.S. cruise ship passenger from Pennsylvania who was snorkeling in the northern Bahamas near Green Cay.

Most shark attacks in the Caribbean occur in the Bahamas, although a rare shark attack was reported in the French Caribbean territory of St. Martin three years ago.

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Horrifying moment tourist captures cruise passenger falling to death from top deck

The moment a norwegian spirit cruise liner passenger fell to his death was captured by a tourist onboard.

Warning: This article contains images which some readers may find distressing.

A Norwegian Spirit passenger has died after falling overboard from the cruise ship.

The incident took place on the Norwegian Spirit cruise liner that went from Keelung Port in Taiwan on Sunday (4 August) to Nagasaki in Japan and South Korea’s Jeju Island, on what was supposed to be a six-day trip .

A tourist onboard appeared to capture the moment a man fell from the upper floor of the cruise liner into the sea.

Images show a couple looking out to the sea with a child when the passenger fell from above.

The ship was said to have stopped for 40 minutes while staff activated the appropriate safety protocols.

Search boats were sent out to find the man and the maritime authorities were contacted.

Sadly, the victim's body was found in the water not long after.

“We were sightseeing on the deck at that time, just looking at the sea, and then we heard a huge noise,” an eyewitness said.

“Then everyone looked towards us and someone realised that a passenger had fallen into the sea.”

According to reports, the man has been identified as Li from Taoyuan, Taiwan, who was 30 years old.

He was said to have boarded the ship on 4 August along with his brother.

His body was reportedly stored in a freezer before the ship docked at Keelung Port.

An investigation into the incident has now been launched.

Norwegian Cruise Line told LADbible in a statement: "On the morning of Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, we were notified that a 30-year-old male guest went overboard while the ship was sailing from Jeju Island, South Korea to Keelung, Taiwan.

"The onboard team took immediate action to recover the guest. Upon quickly reaching him, life saving measures were taken once onboard the ship, but unfortunately, he did not survive.

"His family has been notified and are being attended to during this very difficult situation.

"We are assisting them with the appropriate after life arrangements. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this tragic time.

"We are working closely with the appropriate authorities, and a full investigation is under way."

The Norwegian Spirit cruise ship was first launched in 1998 and was originally commissioned as the SuperStar Leo for Star Cruises, which was then only catering to the Asian market.

However, in 2004, Norwegian Cruise Line decided to rebrand the SuperStar Leo as the Norwegian Spirit to increase market share with the hopes of attracting more of an international clientele.

Since then, the cruise liners have undergone many refurbishments to keep all of their facilities up to date.

And in 2020, the ship underwent a $100 million refurbishment. This included the addition of new dining venues, updated staterooms, and enhanced public areas.

The Norwegian Spirit usually holds around 2,000 passengers, and tourists have the option to visit the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and Asia.

Topics:  World News , Cruise Ship

Anish is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2024 finalist. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

@ Anish_Vij

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• Gran and granddaughter left 'sobbing' on docks as 'dream' cruise sets sail without them
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15-Year-Old American Girl Loses Leg in Shark Attack While on Vacation Diving Excursion

The incident happened on Tuesday, Aug. 6, off the coast of Belize, according to officials

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A 15-year-old girl has lost her leg in a shark attack during a vacation diving excursion in Central America.

American Annabelle Carlson was on a diving excursion with Belize Dive Pro in the Gulf of Honduras when the attack occurred, PEOPLE confirmed.

The Belize Coast Guard told ABC News that the incident happened on the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 6, during an expedition to the Lighthouse Reef.

"It was her right leg that received a bite from the shark," Admiral Elton Bennett of the Belize Coast Guard said of the teenager, per ABC News. "So, she lost her right leg."

Admiral Bennett said Carlson was airlifted to a local hospital after being pulled from the water by tour operators and taken to a Coast Guard base. 

"She's stable and she's recovering at this time," Admiral Bennett told the outlet on Thursday, Aug. 9. 

A GoFundMe page has been set for Carlson by family friend Aja Jewell. At press time, it had raised over $99K toward helping the teen and her family.

"It was a very aggressive, very traumatic, terror-filled fight for her life," Jewell wrote of Carlson's encounter with the shark. "Annabelle was able to fight off the attack as best as she could but was critically injured in the fight."

Local Belize officials said shark attacks are not common in their waters.

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“One of the most important things I want to share right now is that we are being informed that the victim is okay, is alive, made it," Belize's Minister of the Blue Economy Andre Perez told reporters, per Channel 5 News and 7 News Belize .

"What is the magnitude of the damage, we don’t know as yet, but it’s certainly an unfortunate situation. We’re very saddened about it, but I want to highlight that this is something that is very rare and I don’t think this is a time to say, well, you know, we don’t want to go swimming again or something. There must be some other reason why that happened, but it’s too early to say right now.”

A spokesperson for Belize Dive Pro did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Belize Coast Guard and the Government of Belize of Press Office for additional information.

Editor's note: This story has been updated. The victim was previously incorrectly identified in various media reports that were cited in this article. This has been corrected in the current text.

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• Fatal accident at Croatian ferry terminal claims lives of 3...

Fatal accident at Croatian ferry terminal claims lives of 3 sailors

On Sunday afternoon, August 11, a fatal accident occurred at the ferry terminal in Mali Losinj , located on Croatia's northern coast.

The incident took place ~3:00 p.m. when the entry ramp of the Jadrolinija ferry Lastovo fell, trapping crew members working onboard.

Local police confirmed that 3 sailors from the Jadrolinija ferry have tragically lost their lives, and one remains hospitalized with serious injuries.

Jadrolinija, the ferry operator, issued a statement expressing deep sorrow over the incident:

"With great sadness, we must announce that today in the port of Mali Losinj, an accident occurred in which, according to initial information, two sailors from Jadrolinija from the ship Lastovo lost their lives, while one was seriously injured. "The ship Lastovo operates the state ferry line Zadar (Gazenica) - Ist - Olib - Silba - Premuda - Mali Losinj and was docked in Mali Losinj at the time of the accident. "We express our sincere condolences to the families of the deceased sailors. Jadrolinija is deeply shaken by this unfortunate event"

The Lastovo, a ro-ro passenger ferry , was built in 1969 in Japan and joined the Jadrolinija fleet in 1978. The vessel primarily serves routes in the Split region. 

Authorities are conducting an investigation, led by the deputy county attorney from Rijeka , to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.

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Would-be passengers say they missed doomed brazilian flight over booking mix-up: ‘thank god’.

Two would-be passengers with tickets to fly on the doomed flight that crashed in Brazil Friday, killing all 62 people on board , have revealed that they avoided death thanks to travel hiccups. 

One of the extremely fortunate travelers, Adriano Assis, told Brazilian outlet GloboNews that the only reason he was still alive was because he was confused which airline he was flying for his 11:56 a.m. trip from Cascavel to Guarulhos, according to Fox News.

Assis, who had wrapped up a late night shift at a hospital before arriving at the airport around 9:40 a.m., said he had believed he was flying via LATAM Airlines, but after seeing there were no agents at the counter, decided to get a coffee and kill time. 

Eventually, after not seeing Flight 2238 on the arrival or departure signs, Assis realized he had booked his trip on VoePass and rushed to the gate. By the time he had reached the counter, he said, an agent said it was too late for him to board the plane.

“I argued with him and stuff, and that was it, and he saved my life, man,” he told the outlet, welling up with tears. 

A second Flight 2388 passenger, Jose Felipe, said he was part of a group of ten that made the same mixup between the airlines, thinking they had been scheduled to travel via LATAM Airlines. 

“Thank God, we didn’t get on that plane,” he said, adding that when he realized the mistake and tried to pressure an agent to let him board the flight, the worker refused to budge. 

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VoePass Flight 2283, which carried 57 passengers and four crew members on an ATR 72 twin-engine turboprop, crashed in the city of Vinhedo Friday, leaving no survivors. 

The horrifying descent was caught on shocking video, which depicted the plane spiraling to the ground. Imagery of the crashed sight showed flames and smoke emerging from the plane’s wreckage. 

The Guarulhos-bound plane left Cascavel at 11:56 a.m. local time Friday, flying for roughly hour and a half without an issues, officials said.

The crew did not call for help or report any problematic weather conditions.

There was also no signs the crew tried to contact the controllers at nearby airports, Ports and Airports Minister Silvio Costa Filho told reporters Friday night.

“The entire crew was competent,” VoePass CEO Eduardo Busch said at a press conference, according to CNN.

The plane’s black box containing voice recordings and flight data was recovered from the crash site, São Paulo Public Security Secretary Guilherme Derrite said.

The box’s contents will be analyzed to try to determine what caused the plane to spiral over 13,000 in just a minute. 

Among the dead were Captain Danilo Santos Romano, 35, a pilot of ten years, an elderly couple, and Rafael Fernando dos Santos, 41, who was traveling with his three-year-old daughter, Liz Ibba dos Santos, 3.

With Post wires. 

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British tourist ‘falls overboard’ from cruise ship near remote island

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An urgent hunt has been launched for a British passenger who has fallen overboard off a cruise ship.

Croatian authorities have confirmed a ‘young Brit’ went missing from the Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas ship early today, and hasn’t been seen since.

Several ships helped join the search, with passengers being awoken with an emergency message blaring across the cruise.

Nicole Bullock wrote online: ‘Woken up on the cruise ship around 3.40am to the emergency message ‘Oscar Oscar Oscar off the port side’. Man overboard.

‘Been watching the rescue efforts off my balcony all day, hoping for a positive outcome.’

A search and rescue operation is being carried out on the island of Jabuka.

The ship is reportedly on a seven-day Greece-Croatia route which departs on August 3.

Metro has contacted Royal Caribbean for comment.

In March a Scottish tourist died after falling overboard from a cruise ship.

Liam Jones, 23, was last seen on the deck of the MSC Euribia on March 16 as it set off from Southampton to Amsterdam in The Netherlands.

It’s now been revealed Liam messaged his wife Sophia Mcphee to say he was seasick that same day – and that was the last time his devastated wife heard from her.

Sophia told the  Daily Record  that the last time she saw her husband was March 14 when he travelled from their home to Glasgow to meet his family.

She said: ‘I feel so lost. He’s just… gone. I’m never going to see him again. I’m devastated.

‘I have so many questions, and I’m not getting any answers to what’s happened.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

For more stories like this, check our news page .

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