Minister Criticizes Media Handling on 15-Year-Old American Shark Attack

On Tuesday morning, a 15-year-old American sustained severe injuries in a shark attack between Hot Caye and Halfmoon Caye. The incident occurred after Annabelle Carlson, who was participating in a diving excursion with Belize Dive Pro, re-entered the water post-dive. 

In a statement to News 5, Minister of Blue Economy Andre Perez confirmed that the victim is alive but noted that the extent of the injuries is still unknown. “We’re being informed that the victim is okay, is alive, made it. What is the magnitude of the damage, we don’t know as yet,” Perez said.

Gruesome pictures of the attack made it on social media. 

Perez condemned the media for their “inconsiderate” handling of the incident. “I think the only part that I must call out and condemn it in the strongest of terms, is the way certain members of the media handled it. I’m not accusing everyone but I think that the responsibility of the media is very important because we’re talking about a family that’s hurt right now, and you don’t want to add any more injury to them. I think that’s a disservice,” he remarked. 

Addressing concerns from tourists about safety, Perez emphasised the rarity of such incidents. “This is a very rare case, while we are saddened about it, we look at the facts. For the past 30 years, as such we have never had any kind of, this type of accident… There’s nothing to be worrying about,” he assured.