A woman was attacked and killed by an alligator while canoeing on a Florida lake, according to authorities.
According to a news release shared with PEOPLE, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to a reported alligator incident near the mouth of Tiger Creek into Lake Kissimmee in Polk County on Tuesday, May 6, at 4:02 p.m. local time.
According to preliminary reports, the woman was in a canoe when she encountered the animal and entered the water.
“The woman was later recovered from the water and is declared deceased,” the department stated.
According to the agency, officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and other emergency responders arrived on the scene. A professional nuisance alligator trapper was also dispatched.
According to the sheriff’s office, two people were kayaking on the lake at the time of the attack.
According to radio transmissions from the sheriff’s office and shared by CBS affiliate WKMG, an official stated that the alligator “grabbed her out of the canoe.” [Her husband] attempted to fight the gator off. We are in the last place he saw her. He left the paddle right where he last saw her.
The official also stated that the helicopter “spotted the victim floating in the water and FWC officers recovered her from the water, where she was pronounced deceased.”
Currently, the victim has not been identified.
“The incident is still under investigation, and no additional information is available,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated.
Lake Kissimmee, which covers about 35,000 acres in Polk and Osceola counties, has a high concentration of gators in Florida, according to Fox affiliate WTVT.
According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission statistics, from 1948 to 2024, the state recorded 487 unprovoked alligator bites on humans, 27 of which were fatal.
The agency advised visitors to take precautions when spotting alligators in or near water, such as keeping a safe distance from the animals, not feeding them, and swimming only in designated areas during daylight hours.