(NewsNation) — An elderly Florida woman died after she fell into a pond and was likely attacked by two alligators, police said.
The incident occurred around 8 p.m. Friday at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club in Englewood, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said.
The woman, whose exact age and name have not been released, fell into a pond along the golf course near her home and struggled to stay afloat, police said. Two alligators then attacked her.
The woman was pronounced dead on the scene. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the two alligators were captured and removed from the pond, and the agency is working with local police on the investigation.
Management at the golf course declined to comment on the incident but said there was warning signage posted near the water, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. A resident told the Herald-Tribune there are too many alligators in the ponds near the community.
Alligator attacks are rare. Over the past 10 years, Florida has averaged about eight unprovoked attacks annually that require medical treatment, according to the Fish and Conservation Commission. From 1948 to 2021, 26 attacks in Florida have resulted in death.
In May, a man killed in a suspected attack in the Tampa area was likely looking for plastic flying discs, ABC News reported.