15-year-old American loses her leg in Belize shark attack

An American teenager has lost a leg in a shark attack while vacationing in Central America, according to officials.

Annabelle Carlson, 15, was on a diving excursion with the Belize Dive Pro company near Halfmoon Caye in the Gulf of Honduras when the attack occurred, ABC News has learned.

The Belize Coast Guard told ABC News the incident happened on Tuesday morning during an expedition to the Lighthouse Reef, some 50 miles southeast of Belize City.

"It was her right leg that received a bite from the shark," Adm. Elton Bennett of the Belize Coast Guard said. "So, she lost her right leg."

Belize authorities had identified the victim as Sofia Carlson, Annabelle's younger sister, but the teens' mother, Kellie, told ABC News it was her older daughter who was injured in the attack by a reef shark that was approximately 6 feet long.

Tour operators pulled Carlson from the water and took her to a Coast Guard base, where officers helped stabilize her, according to Bennett. He said Carlson was then airlifted to a local hospital.

"She's stable and she's recovering at this time," Bennett told ABC News on Thursday.

Local officials said shark attacks in Belize's waters are unusual.

"I want to highlight that this is something that is very rare," Belize's Minister of the Blue Economy Andre Perez told reporters on Wednesday.

ABC News' Anselm Gibbs and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.