US triathlete Erika Fox has died after being attacked by a shark while swimming off the coast of Pacific Grove, California.
Idman.Biz reports, citing the "New York Post", that athletes swimming in the same area as 55-year-old Fox heard a loud splashing sound in the water, but did not see the incident itself. After a while, it became clear that Fox was the only one missing among those returning to shore.
The triathlete was declared missing and a search and rescue operation was immediately launched. The searches lasted 15 hours and covered an area of more than 84 nautical miles. However, the operation was stopped due to the lack of results. Information suggests that the most likely cause is a shark attack on the athlete.
It is noted that this is not the first such incident in the Pacific Grove water area. In 2022, 62-year-old Steve Brumer was also attacked by a shark and died of blood loss from a bite to his leg.
Erika Fox's colleagues see no other possibility regarding what happened. According to them, she was a very experienced swimmer and factors such as the coldness of the water are excluded. For this reason, the conclusion has been formed that the athlete's disappearance is related to a shark attack.