Mystery over shark attack that left German woman, 30, dead off Canary Islands as Spanish officials ‘prepare to interview’ crew of Brit pleasure boat she was on before beast bit off her leg

An investigation has been launched into the death of a German woman who was killed in a shark attack off the Canary Islands. 

Spanish officials are expected to interview the crew of the British-flagged pleasure boat the 30-year-old was on when the beast bit her leg off. 

Her death is not thought to be suspicious at this stage and unconfirmed reports suggest the woman was attacked while enjoying a swim in the sea. 

Court of Instruction Number Six, which operates out of the Gran Canaria capital Las Palmas, has reportedly been placed in charge of the investigation. 

The investigating judge is unlikely to make any comment while the probe is ongoing.

The 30-year-old, who has not been named, was rushed to hospital by a Spanish Air Force helicopter after the attack. 

Spanish officials are expected to interview the crew of the British-flagged pleasure boat the 30-year-old was on when the beast bit her leg off (file image of the Spanish coastguard) 

The 30-year-old German lost her fight for life in a Spanish Air Force helicopter as she was being evacuated to a Gran Canaria hospital (File image of a Gran Canaria beach) 

She was officially pronounced dead on arrival at Doctor Negrin Hospital in Las Palmas on Monday night. 

She is said to have had her leg bitten off by the shark in international waters 278 miles south-west of Gran Canaria’s airport and around 110 miles east of the city of Dakhla.

The boat called Dalliance Chichester left Gran Canaria on Saturday for what has been described as a ‘leisure trip’. 

It then sent a Mayday signal at around 3.55pm on Monday.

Spanish Coastguards alerted nearby boats about the emergency and one approached the catamaran to give its crew medicines for the injured woman.

They also informed their Moroccan counterparts as well as UK coastguards because the catamaran, a 17 metre-long, eight metre-wide pleasure craft, sails under a UK flag.

According to local reports Moroccan authorities declined to transfer the injured woman to the city of Rabat for emergency medical treatment, asking Spanish coastguards to take responsibility because they didn’t have the ‘required resources.’

There have been no documented previous shark attacks in the area where yesterday’s incident took place.

She was officially pronounced dead after arriving at Doctor Negrin Hospital in the Gran Canaria capital, Las Palmas (File image of Las Palmas)

In June holiday beaches on Gran Canaria’s east coast were closed following shark sightings.

Local police subsequently confirmed through a drone sighting one of the sharks spotted was a 10ft-long hammerhead.

Most hammerhead species are considered harmless to humans and few attacks have been recorded, but they are aggressive hunters and their size and fierceness make them potentially dangerous. 

They can grow up to 20 feet in length and weigh up to 1,000lbs.