A Minnesota woman died after she was bitten by a shark in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Thursday, the authorities said.
Arlene Lillis, 56, lost an arm in the confrontation with the shark, said the Virgin Islands Police Department. She had been in the water at Dorsch Beach on the island of St. Croix when she was bitten, they said.
Ms. Lillis was taken to a hospital where she died, Lt. Governor Tregenza Roach said at a news conference on Friday.
Ms. Lillis was a “frequent visitor” to the Virgin Islands, Mr. Roach said. Her relatives could not be immediately reached on Friday.
The police department said in a news release posted on social media that calls for assistance came in just before 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, with multiple callers to 911 reporting that a woman had been bitten.
People at the beach attempted to help, said Daryl Jaschen, director of the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency.
Two men rushed to Ms. Lillis after hearing screams, according to The St. Thomas Source, one a nurse and former lifeguard and the other a lineman trained in CPR. They reported seeing blood in the water, her severed arm and helping her ashore and reassuring her while she was still conscious.
“I figured if we got her to a hospital, she’d have a fighting chance,” Christopher Carroll, the nurse, told The St. Thomas Source.
At first, the authorities said there were reports of another person in the water, but the police said they searched and did not find a second victim.
Mr. Jaschen said that the authorities were continuing to investigate what happened.
Nicole Angeli, director of the Fish and Wildlife Division of the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources, said the species of the shark that bit Ms. Lilis was not known.
“Sharks are common,” she said. “Bites are not common.”
Ms. Angeli said people who encounter a shark while swimming should keep their eyes on it and slowly swim away.
Rylee Kirk reports on breaking news, trending topics and major developing stories for The Times.
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