A 31-year-old woman died after a horrific alligator attack while hiking with her boyfriend and best friend in Central Florida, authorities said.
The deadly attack happened near the Econlockhatchee River in Little Big Econ State Forest, about 20 miles northeast of Orlando.
The woman, who has not yet been publicly identified, had been hiking with the two others when the group went into the shallow water to cool off around 1:30 p.m.
That is when an alligator suddenly attacked, according to reports.
The woman’s boyfriend called 911 as the terrifying scene unfolded. In audio of the call, screaming and crying could be heard as he begged emergency crews to hurry.
He told dispatchers he was still trying to get the woman’s arms away from the alligator’s mouth. Moments later, he said the injuries were devastating.
“Both her arms, both her arms are off,” he told the operator.
The woman’s friend could be heard saying one of the limbs was “hanging by a thread.” When the dispatcher asked where the other arm was, the friend replied, “Gone.”
The victim’s boyfriend described the situation as “bad, real bad,” and pleaded for help as the woman lost a large amount of blood.
“Please hurry,” he told the operator before trailing off.
The boyfriend later said the alligator had finally “went away.” He described the woman’s injuries as “horrible” and said he had jumped in to help pull her from the water with assistance from her friend.
“We’re far off the trail, we’re off of a little launch area by the river,” he told the dispatcher. “We need help now!”
The dispatcher told him emergency crews may be sending a helicopter and urged the group to flag it down if they saw it.
The woman, who was from Orlando, was rushed for medical treatment but died on the way to the hospital.
She had been near Barr Street Trailhead, a popular hiking area close to Orlando. The trailhead has since been closed until further notice.
After the attack, officials searched the area and found two large alligators, one measuring 12 feet and the other 13 feet. Both animals are undergoing DNA testing to determine which one attacked the woman.
The deadly incident marks the third reported alligator attack in Central Florida in about a week.
Seven days earlier, an attack was reported at Rainbow River in Marion County. A child was also injured in another alligator incident in the same county on Saturday.
Alligator attacks on humans are rare in the United States, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. However, officials warn that alligators can become more territorial during mating season, which runs from April through the end of June.
