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60 Year-old Surfer Attacked and Killed by Huge Great White Shark
A 60-year-old surfer was attacked and killed by a 3-meter great white shark off the coast of northern New South Wales state on Sunday, officials said. The surfer received a bite to the back of his thigh and was brought to the shore by other surfers. Its also reported that the other surfers helped fight off the massive shark after the initial attack.
A surf rescue group, Surf Life Saving NSW, said the victim was from Tugun, Australia. He received first aid on the shore but died on the beach.
Even more a shark biologist assessed photographs and confirmed a great white shark was responsible for the fatal attack. New South Wales Ambulance Inspector Terence Savage said it was a “dreadful” situation for everyone involved.
“When you get a call to attend a shark attack, you never really know the full damage until you get on scene,” he said. “They did everything they could to try and save his life. Consequently despite their best efforts, were unable to do so.”
Beaches near shark attack closed for 24 hours
Nearby beaches were cleared of swimmers and surfers and will remain closed for 24 hours. A resident surfer Stuart Gonsal had just arrived for a surf, when he heard about the fatal shark attack.
“We came down and hadn’t even got into the water and police were hauling people in,” Gonsal told ABC. “Then we found out there was a fatal shark attack on the south side of the beach.
We were going to get in, we’re not going to now for sure.”
This was the third fatal shark attack in Australia this year.
In January, a diver was killed near Esperance off the Western Australia state coast. In April, a shark fatally mauled a 23-year-old wildlife worker on the Great Barrier Reef.
The Associated Press