Shark rips off Yale graduate's leg as she celebrates on luxury Caribbean island

Caribbean reef sharks rarely attack humans. Photo: CORBIS. island during "holiday" A trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

A 22-year-old marathon runner from Connecticut was visiting the Caribbean with a friend to mark the occasion when she was reportedly attacked on Wednesday.

The couple were swimming off Grace Bay Beach, a stretch of white sand often cited as one of the best beaches in the world, on a private boat tour when they were bitten by what is believed to be a Caribbean reef shark .

The captain of the boat is said to have dived into the water to save the woman. He applied a tourniquet to her leg before she was rushed to Cheshire Hall Medical Center.

He then pulled her leg out of the water, but medics were reportedly unable to reattach the limb due to a six-hour wait to airlift the woman to a Miami hospital.

Photos show the woman's position. the torn off left leg is still in the fin.

The woman, who has not been named, has been described as «an impressive young woman.» Sources told MailOnline that they ran the marathon in the Netherlands last week.

Big Blue Collective, which organized the tour, said in a statement that the attack was «extremely rare.»

The Turks and Caicos Islands is a British Overseas Territory popular with American vacationers. ;Only two people were in the water, which was clear and calm, when a suspected Caribbean reef shark injured one diver in what is known in diving circles as a case of misidentification."

Allegedly , friends are staying at a nearby vacation home owned by her parents.

"It was a very rare occurrence. I've been living here for 14 years and there was only one case where there was a shark bite and nothing was ripped off," said a local source.

'What happened shocks me, I'm worried about her."

Sharks rarely attack. Last year, the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File confirmed 89 human bites, 57 of which were unprovoked.

The initial police statement erroneously stated that the attack took place near a $1,000-per-night luxury hotel where Beyoncé and Jay-Z had previously stayed.

Press Secretary of the Department of the Environment and the Environment. Turks and Caicos Coastal Resources said: «Yesterday at the Bone Yard dive site in Princess Alexandra National Park, a 22-year-old visitor from Connecticut was seriously injured while snorkeling.»

& #34;Immediately after the incident, approximately at 3:07 pm, the police control room received a call.

"Responding promptly, officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police ensured that the injured visitor was quickly taken to Cheshire Hall Medical Center for emergency treatment.& #34;

They said the incident was still under investigation and it was not yet a confirmed shark attack.

She added: "Although such incidents are very unusual for Turks &amp ; Caicos Islands, swimmers, snorkelers, divers and boat operators are reminded to be careful on the water"