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<\/p>\nA NEWLYWED who was mauled to death by a shark in front of her husband just hours after they tied the knot has been pictured. <\/p>\n
Lauren Erickson Van Wart, 44, was paddleboarding with her husband at the\u00a0Sandals resort\u00a0in western\u00a0New Providence, Bahamas, on Monday when she was killed. <\/p>\n
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Witnesses described "screaming" just moments after seeing the couple "laughing and talking" side by side at the luxury resort. <\/p>\n
Van Wart, who was visiting from Boston, Massachusetts, suffered "serious injuries" and despite the desperate attempts of a lifeguard, died at scene. <\/p>\n
"Shortly after 11:15 am police were notified that a female visitor from Boston, Massachusetts, USA was attacked by a shark," Sgt Desiree Ferguson from the Royal Bahamas Police Force said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
"A lifeguard on duty who saw what was happening went out in a rescue boat, retrieved the victim, along with the male relative and brought them to safety CPR was administered to the victim.<\/p>\n
"However she suffered serious injuries to the right side of her body, including the right hip region and also her right upper limb."<\/p>\n
Van Wart was pronounced dead after she showed "no vital signs of life," police confirmed. <\/p>\n
The couple, who was said to be about three-quarters of a mile away from the shore at the time of the attack, had gotten married only a day before the tragic attack. <\/p>\n
A jet ski operator at the beach at the time told The Nassau Guardian he saw a 14-foot-long shark that pulled the woman's paddleboard underwater.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n "When I saw it was only the guy standing on the board, I said (to myself), she must have fallen off. Then you could actually hear the faint shouts of him screaming for help" he told the outlet.<\/p>\n "It was crazy because I watched them push out from the beach. They [were] side by side and laughing and talking. They just got married yesterday."<\/p>\n In a statement, the Sandals resort said: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of a guest while on a paddleboarding activity nearly a mile from the shore."<\/p>\n It added that it is in "close contact" with Van Wart's family and is "providing all support possible during this difficult time."<\/p>\n Van Wart is understood to have worked as a math editor and has been hailed for her dedication to students. <\/p>\n The company she worked for is said to be "heartbroken" and "grieving the loss of a dear and trusted colleague and friend."<\/p>\n "Lauren was a beloved member of our math editorial team, and she infused her deep dedication to students and educators into every material she touched," Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates said. <\/p>\n "Her commitment to excellence and outstanding work was driven by a higher purpose, focused on improving learning outcomes for all."<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Gavin Naylor, program director of the International\u00a0Shark Attack\u00a0File in Florida, called Van Wart's death out of the ordinary, especially since she was paddleboarding at the time instead of surfing.<\/p>\n "It was a bit of a surprise that she was paddleboarding," he told local Fox affiliate WFXT.<\/p>\n "Surfers get bitten far more frequently than paddleboarders because they are lying down and they are splashing."<\/p>\n It's unknown at this time what kind of shark attacked Van Wart, however, tiger sharks and bull sharks frequent the coast of the Bahamas.<\/p>\n Despite this, Naylor said those species often avoid human contact.<\/p>\n The attack will be studied by research biologists to get a better understanding of what happened and how it can be prevented in the future.<\/p>\n Greg Skomal, a shark biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries said he hopes to get a sense of what happened.<\/p>\n "What we would try to get as much information as possible that would try to give us a sense of why this happened," he said.<\/p>\n This is the third fatal shark attack in the Bahamas since September 2022.<\/p>\n Just two weeks ago, a German woman went missing after encountering a shark while diving.<\/p>\n In September 2022, a 58-year-old American woman was killed by a shark while snorkeling with her family in New Providence.<\/p>\n "A couple of species have been implicated in attacks in the Bahamas the bull shark certainly the tiger," said Skomal.<\/p>\n He reminded swimmers to keep an eye out for potential prey when in potentially shark-infested waters.<\/p>\n "These are things to be taken seriously and people needed to be educated about them," he said.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/l-r-queen-camilla-king-864319305.jpg\")
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