HOLGUIN, Cuba – A deadly shark attack just feet away from a Cuban beach killed a 22-year-old man.
The attack occurred Saturday night off Guardalavaca Beach near the city of Holguin in the eastern part of the country.
According to a report from a website run by the Cuban government, the man was with five other people about 10 feet off the shore when he was attacked.
While in the water at around 11:00 p.m., the group swimming in the ocean was was startled to hear the man shout that he had been bitten.
The man had been bitten in his left thigh, ripping apart his femoral artery. Despite efforts to bring the victim to a nearby hospital, the man died within a few minutes.
The report does not mention the species of shark that attacked the man.
Shark attacks are considered to be rare in waters off Cuba, but officials routinely warn against nighttime swimming on the country's beaches.