A 17-year-old girl tragically lost her life after being bitten by a shark while swimming off an island in eastern Australia. This marked the country’s third fatal attack in just over five weeks.
Emergency services rushed to Woorim Beach on Queensland’s Bribie Island on Monday afternoon, but the teenager, who suffered severe upper body injuries, could not be saved. Queensland police confirmed that the girl died around 15 minutes after the attack.
Authorities said they would prepare a report for the coroner.
This tragedy follows two other fatal shark attacks in Australia in recent weeks. On January 2, a 28-year-old surfer was killed at Granites Beach in South Australia. Last year on December 28, a 40-year-old pastor was fatally bitten in the neck while spearfishing off Queensland’s Keppel Bay Islands.
John Wadey, a local resident, told the Courier-Mail that police ran into the water to try and rescue the girl but were unable to save her. He also noted that shark sightings in the area were frequent.
“There’s shark sightings every day. People don’t say anything. It is common,” Wadey said.
Australia has recorded over 1,200 shark attacks since 1791, with more than 250 proving fatal. White sharks, bull sharks, and tiger sharks are responsible for most serious incidents.