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Surfer severely mauled by shark in Australia
SYDNEY, Dec 9, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – A surfer was severely mauled by a shark
off Australia’s east coast, officials said Sunday, the latest in a series of
attacks in recent months.
The 36-year-old was surfing near Scotts Head Beach some 490 kilometres
(300 miles) north of Sydney in the morning when he was bitten, New South
Wales state police said.
“The man suffered a severe leg injury below his knee on his right leg,” a
NSW Ambulance spokesman told AFP. “He had five deep lacerations and he
suffered a lot of blood loss.”
He was in the water with several other surfers when he disappeared, Surf
Life Saving NSW said.
“One of them has seen him disappear under the water, with a flume of water
spraying up and then the victim has lifted his arm up to indicate he was
having a problem,” Surf Life Saving spokeswoman Donna Wishart told national
broadcaster ABC.
The man was flown to a hospital in serious condition.
Officials said it was not yet known what shark species was involved.
The attack was the eighth off Australian beaches in three months, amid
public debate about how to reduce the risk of encounters between sharks and
the growing number of people using the ocean for leisure.
New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, has trialled non-lethal
measures such as aerial drones to track shark movements and “smart” drum
lines that alert authorities to their presence.
Australia has one of the world’s highest incidences of shark attacks, but
fatalities remain rare.
There have been 16 “unprovoked” shark attacks off the vast continent’s
coast this year, including one death after a swimmer was mauled by a shark in
the Whitsunday Islands in early November, according to data from Sydney’s
Taronga Zoo.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0910 hrs