A 63-year-old American tourist was severely injured after he was attacked by a shark while spearfishing in the Bahamas on Sunday, local authorities said.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a statement shared on Facebook that the attack happened shortly after 1 p.m. near Big Grand Cay on the island of Abaco. Officials said the man sustained severe injuries and was taken to a local clinic for medical assistance. He was then airlifted to the U.S. for additional treatment.

Additional information was not immediately available.

The Bahamas has one of the world's highest rates of shark attacks, although data shows they are still extremely rare.

There have been just 34 confirmed attacks in the Bahamas over the last 400 years, according to the International Shark Attack File, a dat

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