A man has died after being attacked by a suspected “large shark” at a beach in Sydney, according to Australia’s New South Wales police department.
In their statement, the police informed that emergency services managed to pull the man out of the morning surf at Long Reef Beach, but he unfortunately passed away on the scene.
The police also mentioned that two sections of a surfboard have been recovered and will be subjected to an expert examination.
As a result of Saturday’s event, several closures have been imposed in the popular Northern Beaches area.
According to the state police, emergency services responded after receiving reports shortly after 10:00am local time on Saturday (00:00 GMT) regarding “a man who suffered critical injuries”.
The identity of the victim has not yet been confirmed.
Local police officers and experts will collaborate to “identify the species of shark involved”.
The last fatal shark attack in the Sydney area occurred in 2022, when Simon Nellist – a British diving instructor – was attacked by a great white shark.
Before that incident, there hadn’t been a fatal attack since 1963.
On average, Australia experiences around 20 shark attacks per year, with most incidents occurring in New South Wales and Western Australia.
Despite the occasional attacks, fatalities from shark bites are rare. Over a century of records, Australia’s shark attack mortality rate is 0.9 – less than one person per year.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8r9p28yp7o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
