You may have swum close to a shark without knowing it 1:03
(CNN) --
A cruise ship passenger from Pennsylvania died Tuesday after being attacked by a shark while snorkeling with her family in the Bahamas, authorities said.
The woman, a mother in her 50s who was aboard the Royal Caribbean ship Harmony of the Seas, was attacked on Green Cay off the coast of Nassau, according to Royal Bahamas Police Force Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings.
While the cruise ship was docked in Nassau, the family booked an excursion with a local tour company that took them to an area popular for snorkeling, he said.
Family members then saw a shark attacking the woman and rushed to her aid.
The mother had suffered bites to "her upper extremities," Skippings said.
Tour company operators and family members were able to get the woman onto the boat and rushed to the nearest dock, where paramedics responded and reported no vital signs, Skippings said.
"Royal Caribbean is providing support and assistance to guests' loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from the cruise line.
Harmony of the Seas is currently on a seven-night cruise after sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday.
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The beach where the attack took place has been closed, authorities said, and the incident is under investigation.
Part of a leg is amputated from a 10-year-old boy who suffered a shark attack in the Florida Keys
Watch the impressive video of a great white shark ramming a diver 3:25
a rare attack
Shark attacks remain extremely rare.
The odds of being fatally attacked by the creature remain less than 1 in 4 million, according to the International Shark Attack File.
Last year, there were 73 confirmed cases of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide, including 47 in the United States, which has the most documented unprovoked bites in the world, according to the Shark Attack File.
It's not clear why sharks bite, but experts say many attacks are "cases of mistaken identity," occurring in low water visibility, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Many of the bites occur when humans swim in or near large schools of prey.
Sharks may also bite because they feel threatened and are just trying to defend themselves.
-- CNN's Nouran Salahieh contributed to this report.
sharks