Although the woman tried to stay afloat following the fall, two alligators grabbed her and submerged her in the water causing her death.
A woman died following falling into a pond with alligators on a golf course in Englewood, in the state of Florida (United States).
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office reported that the incident is being investigated, which occurred at Boca Royale Golf and Country Club in Englewood, where the woman, an elderly woman whose age was not disclosed, died when she fell into the pond where the alligators were.
According to a first version provided by the Sheriff’s Office, witnesses to the event saw the old woman fall, in what appears to be an accident, into the pond located on the golf course, near her home.
Although the old woman tried to stay afloat, two alligators grabbed her and submerged her in the water, causing her death.
The woman was declared dead at the scene of the event by the health authorities who provided first aid.
Given this, the Florida State Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responded to the call to capture the alligators from the pond and conduct an investigation.
Meanwhile, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has not yet identified the elderly woman.
More than 20 documented deaths since 1948
According to FWC data on human-alligator interactions, since 1948 there have been more than 20 documented cases of human deaths from alligator attacks in Florida.
That state has a population of alligators that is currently estimated at 1.3 million animals of all sizes, spread over the 67 counties of that territory in the southeastern United States.
One of the most mediatic cases of alligator incidents is the one that occurred on June 14, 2016 at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa hotel complex in Orlando, owned by the Disney company.
A 2-year-old boy identified as Lane Thomas was dragged into the water by an alligator while he was with his family on the shores of a man-made lake.
His parents jumped into the water and tried to free the boy from the alligator, but they might not prevent his death.