Indian-origin tourist dies after being attacked by shark while scuba diving in Costa Rica

She was a director of a private equity firm founded by US President Donald Trump’s commerce secretary (Linkedin)

A holidaymaker lost her life after being attacked by a tiger shark while her group surfaced from a dive off a remote island in the Pacific.

Rohina Bhandari, a director of a private equity firm founded by US President Donald Trump’s commerce secretary, suffered severe bite wounds to her legs when the shark attacked about 300 miles south of Costa Rica, reported The Mirror.

The 49-year-old succumbed to extreme injuries even though the holidaying doctors and Cocos Island National Park guards tried their best to save her. She was one of 18 people diving off the World Heritage Site, known for its abundant species of sharks, when the attack occurred last Thursday, the New York Daily News reported.

During the incident, a dive master was also bitten by the shark. He told park officials that the group had tried to drive the shark away.

Meanwhile, Costa Rica’s Environment Ministry dubbed the attack at the Manuelita dive site an “isolated incident”.

According to the Bangalore Mirror, Bhandari was originally from Bengaluru, India, and had planned to celebrate her 50th birthday with friends in the city in December.  She was a senior director at an investment firm in Manhattan, New York.