An American tourist was seriously injured in a shark attack in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday (May 24), authorities said.

According to the Royal Turks and Caicos Police, the 22-year-old Connecticut woman was snorkeling with a friend off the coast of the Turks and Caicos Islands when the shark attacked her around 3:00 p.m. local time.

The attack happened in the waters outside the Blue Haven Resort on the island of Providenciales, part of Turks and Caicos.

A resort employee contacted police and requested an ambulance, telling officers that the victim had her leg bitten off. Officers and an ambulance were then dispatched to the scene, police say.

The victim was transported to the nearby Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, where she remains hospitalised in serious condition.

HOW COMMON ARE SHARK ATTACKS?

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, the total number of shark attacks around the world is “very low” when considering how many people swim or do other activities in the ocean each year.

Data shows that most people who were bitten by a shark were swimming, wading or surfing in the ocean.

The museum said it investigated 108 alleged shark-human interactions worldwide in 2022. Noting that the number of unprovoked shark attacks was down slightly from previous years’ average of 70.

According to the museum, there were 57 unprovoked shark attacks, of which five were fatal.

There were 32 provoked shark bites, which occurred when people are bitten after “harassing,” trying to touch sharks, trying to feed sharks or removing a fishing hook from a shark, the museums data shows.

Consistent with long-term trends, the United States recorded the highest number of unprovoked shark bites in 2022, with 41 confirmed cases.