Teen recovering from terrifying shark attack in Gulf of Mexico

A Kentucky teenager is recovering from a leg wound after she was bitten by a shark in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida’s Panhandle on Sunday.

The 17-year-old was attacked by a 5-foot-long shark while swimming near a sandbar in Destin, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

The teen was taken to a local hospital, where she received stitches, but sheriff officials described the injury as “fairly minor.”

A 17 year old Kentucky girl was bitten on the leg by a five foot long shark while swimming in the Gulf near the second...

Posted by Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office on Sunday, April 2, 2017

Authorities don't know what kind of shark bite the girl, who was visiting Destin from Louisville, Kentucky, with her high school softball team, media outlets reported.

Shark attacks in the area are rare. The attack Sunday is only the fourth documented shark bite in Okaloosa County since 1882, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.

About the Author