American attacked by shark in the Bahamas airlifted to US

A 63-year-old American man, who was attacked by a shark while spearfishing near Big Grand Cay on Sunday, has been airlifted to the United States for medical treatment, Bahamian police confirmed. The man’s identity has not been released.

The incident comes just weeks after another American, 66-year-old Mike Raich, survived a shark bite while spearfishing off Spanish Cay. In Raich’s case, one of the shark’s teeth became lodged in his arm, narrowly avoiding damage to major nerves and arteries. The U.S. Marine veteran required surgery to reattach his tricep and has since recovered.

In a separate series of tragic incidents, police are investigating the deaths of two American tourists at Celebration Key over the past weekend. Both drowned in separate water-related emergencies.

“Our lifeguards and medical team responded to two separate water emergency incidents at Celebration Key … one in the lagoon and one at the beach,” the resort said in a statement. “Sadly, both guests have passed away. One guest was sailing with family on Mardi Gras, and one guest was sailing with family on Carnival Elation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the guests and their families, and our Care Team is providing assistance.”

Police said in the first incident, a 79-year-old man was found unresponsive on a commercial boat after snorkeling. Lifeguards administered CPR, but he was pronounced dead by a medical doctor.

In the second incident, a 74-year-old woman became unresponsive while swimming in a pool. She was assisted by a lifeguard and given CPR, but later died.

“An autopsy will be performed on both victims to assist with determining the exact cause of death. The investigation continues in both matters,” police said.