A 35-year-old swimmer was seriously injured after being attacked by a shark on a Sydney beach. The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on the Australian coast.
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Reuters writes that emergency services intervened at Coogee Beach, located in the east of Sydney, after receiving information that the 35-year-old woman was bitten by a large shark about 30 meters from the shore.
“The woman was pulled out of the water by people nearby, who gave her first aid“, the police said in a statement, stating that the victim suffered serious injuries to his arms and legs.
“He has deep leg and arm wounds that will require numerous surgeriesNew South Wales State Ambulance Service Inspector Mike Corlis said.
Coogee Beach and other beaches in the area managed by Randwick Council were closed for 24 hours after the attack.
The area's mayor, Dylan Parker, said authorities would work with the New South Wales state government and wait for its recommendations before reopening the beaches.
A witness to the attack, Nicola Logan, told Reuters she saw it “a huge bloodstain” in the water, then “a woman trying to swim, with a lot of splashing around, while a person on a water ski was trying to bring her to shore.”
Just a week before, a man died after being attacked by a shark while fishing off the coast of Western Australia.
At the end of last month, a 39-year-old man died after a shark attack occurred off the coast of the Australian state of Queensland, local authorities announced.
The man was participating in a spearfishing session and was in the water with other people at the time of the attack. Investigators say the victim suffered serious head injuries.
“We believe the man was spearfishing when he was attacked”said Police Inspector Elaine Burns.
Dozens of beaches on Australia's east coast, including Sydney, were closed in January after four shark attacks in two days. These incidents occurred after heavy rains that muddied the water, attracting sharks and reducing visibility.
Most shark attacks occur on Australia's east and southeast coasts, where there are an average of about 20 such incidents a year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
