American tourist killed in Costa Rica shark attack

American tourist killed in Costa Rica shark attack

Costa Rica: Rohina Bhandari, a 49-year-old private equity director from Manhattan, was killed by a tiger shark this week while diving off a Costa Rican island in the Pacific Ocean.

A 49-year-old US female tourist was killed by a tiger shark this week while diving off a Costa Rican island in the Pacific Ocean, the government and local media reported.

The tourist has been identified by friends as Rohina Bhandari, 49, a private equity director from New York City.

News of her death was reported by the New York Daily News late Saturday.

The attack also badly injured the 26-year-old male Costa Rican diving guide leading the group that included Bhandari.

The shark savaged the two on Thursday as they were surfacing after a dive off Cocos Island, a pristine national park located 300 miles off the Costa Rican mainland, the environment ministry said in a statement.

A 49-year-old US female tourist was killed by a tiger shark this week while diving off a Costa Rican island in the Pacific Ocean, the government and local media reported. The tourist has been identified by friends as Rohina Bhandari, 49, a private equity director from New York City.

The attack also badly injured the 26-year-old male Costa Rican diving guide leading the group that included Bhandari who suffered fatal bite marks on both of her legs

Bhandari was said to have sustained fatal bite marks on both of her legs.

It stressed the attack was ‘an isolated incident’ and the first one of such seriousness recorded for the island.

According to the Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion, the guide noticed the shark approaching his group underwater and tried to scare it away.

But as they surfaced, the shark went for the American woman, tearing at her legs.

The guide, too, suffered leg injuries.

Park rangers came to assist, as did doctors who happened to be diving in the area and who declared the woman dead.

The injured guide was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition and conscious.

He told La Nacion he believed the shark was a female.

Bhandari, a resident of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, was a senior director at WL Ross & Co. LL, a firm founded by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

She was also frequently spotted at charity events throughout the city.

Her death was met with shock and sadness by her friends on Facebook.

Cocos Island, a Costa Rican island in the Pacific Ocean, is a pristine national park located 300 miles off the Costa Rican mainland.

Tiger sharks, which have dark stripes on their body when young, are predators often found around Pacific islands. The image above is a stock photo of a tiger shark

‘Unbelievably sad and heartbreaking news that Rohina has died,’ wrote Julie Walker.

‘She was such a wonderful person who loved life. I will always remember her kindness, friendship and our adventures together.’

‘Your kindness and genuine warmth to those of us lucky enough to call you “friend” was a blessing to behold,’ another friend wrote.

Tiger sharks, which have dark stripes on their body when young, are predators often found around Pacific islands.

Unlike many other species of shark, they can be aggressive and account for a large proportion of reported attacks on humans.

Costa Rica, a small Central American nation that boasts both Caribbean and Pacific coastlines, relies strongly on its tourism industry, especially visitors from the nearby United States.