Great white shark
Local media says the victim was a woman in her 40s who had been swimming at Orient Bay.

A person has been killed in a shark attack off the coast of Saint Martin in the Caribbean.

Local reports suggest the victim was a woman in her 40s who had been swimming in Orient Bay on Thursday - a popular beach.

It is the first fatal attack in the territory's recent history, according to government spokesperson Alain Rioual.

Most attacks in the Caribbean have been in the Bahamas, where two incidents - one fatal - were reported in 2019.

An attack was also reported in Cuba last year, according to the Florida-based International Shark Attack File.

Programme director Gavin Naylor said he was surprised about the attack off the coast of Saint Martin, commenting: "It's pretty unusual in that part of the world."

He said attacks in the Bahamas largely occur because of its status as a tourist destination.

"We see a very strong correlation between shark bites and the number of people in the water," he said.

The organisation said there were 64 unprovoked shark attacks last year, but added the risk of being attacked remains "extremely low".