HispanicBusiness

SeaWorld in Orlando saw a killer whale fatally attack a trainer in plain view of tourists today.

Accounts of how the horrendous SeaWorld incident occurred differed, but it appears the offending whale was Tillikum, which a decade ago had killed a 27-year-old man who had sneaked into the tank late at night.

SeaWorld claimed the trainer, a 40-year-old woman -- who a spokesman said was among SeaWorld's most experienced -- lost her footing and slipped into the 35-foot tank.

But an eyewitness told CNN that the killer whale jumped out of the tank and took her by the waist in its jaws, then shook her so violently that her shoe fell off.

Before the attack, the witness said visitors were asking the trainer questions about the killer whale when 22-foot-long animal turned upside down. The trainer told the audience that this meant the killer whale, named Tillikum, wanted a belly rub, and then called out to another trainer to say she was ready to begin the show.

"And then Tillikum just took off like a bat out of you know where," she told CNN. "Then he came back around in the glass, and he jumped up and grabbed the trainer by the waist."

Sirens went off and SeaWorld employees flooded the area, ordering the patrons to evacuate, the witness said.

In 1999, the body of the 27-year-old man was found floating face up in the SeaWorld tank after apparently hiding in the park until after closing time and climbing into the tank.