mangalore today

Mangalurean woman killed in tiger shark attack in Costa Rica


Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Dec 3, 2017: A 49-year-old Mangalurean based woman was killed by a tiger shark while diving off a Costa Rican island in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday November 30.

The womam has been identified as Rohina Bhandari. She was on a tour of certain countries in the American continent along with some friends, when tragedy struck. 


rohina bhandary


The attack also badly injured the 26-year-old male Costa Rican diving guide leading the group that included Bhandari. Bhandari was said to have sustained fatal bite marks on both of her legs.

According to the Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion, the guide noticed the shark approaching his group underwater and tried to scare it away.

But as they surfaced, the shark went for the Rohina, tearing at her legs. The guide, too, suffered leg injuries.

Park rangers came to assist, as did doctors who happened to be diving in the area and who declared the woman dead.

Rohina Bhandari, a resident of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, was a senior director at WL Ross & Co. LL, a firm founded by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

She was also frequently spotted at charity events throughout the city. Her death was met with shock and sadness by her friends on Facebook.

’Unbelievably sad and heartbreaking news that Rohina has died,’ wrote Julie Walker.

’She was such a wonderful person who loved life. I will always remember her kindness, friendship and our adventures together.’

’Your kindness and genuine warmth to those of us lucky enough to call you "friend" was a blessing to behold,’  another friend wrote.

Tiger sharks, which have dark stripes on their body when young, are predators often found around Pacific islands.

Unlike many other species of shark, they can be aggressive and account for a large proportion of reported attacks on humans.