Reports: CT woman’s foot bitten off by shark in Turks and Caicos

PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS (WFSB) - According to reports from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Department, a 22-year-old woman from Connecticut was attacked by a shark on Wednesday.

Initial police reports state the unidentified victim, who is from in Connecticut, and a friend were snorkeling when they were attacked by a shark.

“Interactions with sharks like this are quite rare,” said David Cochran, Shark Expert, Mystic Aquarium.

Police said that around 3:07 p.m. on Wednesday, an employee of a Resort located in the vicinity of the Leeward Marina, Providenciales, called the police control room to request ambulance assistance.

According to additional police reports obtained by CBS News, the woman and a friend were snorkeling on Providenciales, the third-largest island in the country, in an area near the Blue Haven Resort. However the resort told CBS News and Channel 3 that the woman was “staying at another resort, on another boat, nowhere near our resort or marina.”

Channel 3 spoke to a source close to the snorkeling boat company. That source says the woman lost her foot in an interaction with a shark and was sent to the hospital.

As of Thursday, she was warded in serious condition at the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre.

“The patient’s Injury is considered serious and, after a period of stabilization, was transferred to a tertiary care facility for further management,” said the hospital.

“We are not a normal food source for them. We generally have a poor taste and a higher fat content than what they would normally eat,” said Cochran.

He says sharks that bite humans tend to let go on their own. But he says there are ways to get the more aggressive animals to let go.

“Giving them a little boop on the snoot or a poke in the eye is generally enough,” Cochran explained.

There are a lot of differences between species of sharks that you would find down in the tropics versus up here in New England, but there is some overlap.

Sand tigers and brown sharks can be found all around the world, as well as here in Long Island Sound.

“We do get sharks like threshers, great whites, and blue sharks,” Cochran added.

The most important thing, Cochran says, is to be aware of your surroundings and know the nearest place to get medical attention before heading out on the water.

This is a developing story. Follow Channel 3 for updates.

Copyright 2023 WFSB. All rights reserved.