Police are investigating after a young boy visiting from Maryland was attacked by a shark at a resort in the Bahamas on Monday.
The 10-year-old boy, who was not identified in a news release from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, was bitten while participating in an expedition in a shark tank at a local resort on Paradise Island, one of the nearly 300 islands in the Bahamas.
Boy was Bitten on the Right Keg, Listed in Stable Condition at Hospital
The incident occurred shortly before 4 p.m., the news release said. The boy was bitten on the right leg. He was transported to an area hospital and is listed as being in stable condition, according to the news release.
Police Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told NBC News on Tuesday that she couldn’t explain what protections were in place at the “Shark Tank” expedition.
“I’m a police officer on the island, and I have never been over to the aquarium that they’re referring to. As for how it’s set up, you’ll have to speak to personnel at the resort,” said Skippings, who declined to name the resort.
According to NBC News, The Atlantis on Paradise Island appears to offer a snorkeling program in which patrons can get “alongside sleek sharks, spotted rays, and brilliantly colored tropical fish in this underwater setting.”
Fatal Shark Attacks in the Bahamas in Recent Years
In December, a Boston woman was killed in a shark attack in the Bahamas. Lauren Erickson Van Wart, 44, was paddleboarding with a family member when she was bitten by a shark. She was declared dead at the scene by emergency responders.
In recent years, two other fatal shark attacks involving American tourists in the Bahamas have made headlines. Both incidents were near Rose Island.
Last September, a 58-year-old woman from Pennsylvania was killed by a bull shark while snorkeling in the Bahamas. The victim, Caroline DiPlacido, was in the area for a week-long cruise at the time of the incident, as previously reported.
California resident Jordan Lindsey, 19, was killed while snorkeling with her mother when she was attacked by at least three sharks.
