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.
