A shark attack critically injured an American tourist in the Bahamas on Sunday, Aug. 17, island officials said.
The incident took place about 1 p.m. local time while a 63-year-old man was spearfishing in the Atlantic Ocean near Big Grand Cay, according to the Royal Bahamian Police Force.
The island is in the Northern Abaco Cays, north of Grand Bahama, near the city of Freeport.
The man suffered severe injuries in the attack and was taken to a local medical clinic, where he was transported by medical helicopter to a hospital in the United States, according to a news release from police.
Spearfisherman attacked by shark
Police did not say what type of shark is suspected in the attack on the spearfisherman, or whether the man was fishing alone.
The man's condition was not immediately known on Monday, Aug. 18, and no additional details had been released about the victim, including where he lives in the U.S.
USA TODAY has reached out to the Bahamian police for more details.
How many shark attacks took place in the US last year?
According to
International Shark Attack File (ISAF), 47 people were bitten in unprovoked attacks last year. Four of them died, including one person in the United States.
According to
Trackingsharks.com, the odds of being killed by a shark in the U.S. are more than 4 million to 1.
How many people die from shark attacks every year?
The world averages
65 documented shark attacks annually, according to ISAF
data.
On average,
six fatal attacks are reported each year, the data shows.
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