American woman ID’d after killed in bull shark attack while snorkeling with family in Bahamas
An American woman who was killed in a shark attack while snorkeling with her family in the Bahamas on Tuesday afternoon has been identified.
Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, released a statement Wednesday regarding the death of their faculty member, Caroline DiPlacido, after the shark incident in the Bahamas, according to ABC News.
She was the project coordinator for the Office of Community and Government Relations at their Erie Campus, university officials said.
“Along with her efforts to further the mission of Erie-GAINS and Our West Bayfront, 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,” the university said in a statement.
DiPlacido was vacationing with her family and were on a snorkeling tour in the waters northwest of Rose Island when she was attacked by a bull shark shortly before 3 p.m. local time, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
Tour operators, along with family members, attempted to rescue DiPlacido but were unsuccessful, police said. The victim suffered serious injuries to the left side of her body and was transported by the tour boat to nearby Fort Montagu on the eastern shore of New Providence island, where she was prounced dead by emergency medical responders, according to police.
DiPlacido and her family had arrived in the Bahamas on Tuesday morning via Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship Harmony of the Seas, police said.
Royal Caribbean confirmed in a statement that the family were guests on the seven-night cruise, which sailed from Port Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday.
She was on an “independent shore excursion” in Nassau when attacked by a shark and succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital, according to the Miami-based cruise line.
“Royal Caribbean is providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time,” the company said in the statement Tuesday.
In June 2019, an American tourist snorkeling off Rose Island was killed in a shark attack. The victim, 21-year-old Loyola-Marymount University student Jordan Lindsey, died after a school of sharks attacked her.
Gannon University will hold a vigil for DiPlacido Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST, the school announced.
“Let us remember Caroline with affection and hope,” the university said.