A 30-year-old German woman has died after being attacked by a shark while sailing on a British-flagged catamaran near the Canary Islands. The incident occurred in international waters approximately 278 miles south-west of Gran Canaria's airport and 110 miles east of Dakhla in Western Sahara.
The woman, whose name has not been released, suffered severe injuries including the loss of a leg. She was airlifted by a Spanish Air Force helicopter but went into cardiac arrest during the flight. She was pronounced dead upon arrival at Doctor Negrin Hospital in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, shortly after 11pm local time.
The catamaran, named Dalliance Chichester, had departed from Gran Canaria on September 14. Spanish Coastguards alerted their Moroccan and UK counterparts due to the vessel's British registration. However, Moroccan authorities reportedly declined to transfer the injured woman to Rabat for emergency treatment.
This incident follows a series of shark sightings off Gran Canaria's coast in June, which led to the temporary closure of several beaches including Melenara Beach, Salinetas, and Playa de San Agustín after a hammerhead shark was spotted.
