Photo: Chase Baker // Unsplash
A shark has killed a woman and seriously injured a man on Australia’s east coast. Though beaches in the region were temporarily closed, authorities say the ongoing threat has lifted.
The attack occurred around 6:30 a.m. Thursday at Kylies Beach in Crowdy Bay National Park in New South Wales, Australia. As The Guardian reports, a 25-year-old Swiss woman and her 26-year-old partner were swimming when they were attacked by a nine-foot-long bull shark. Police are still reviewing GoPro footage from the incident.
The woman died on the scene, while the man was airlifted to Newcastle’s John Hunter hospital in critical condition. His life was likely saved by the quick actions of a bystander who applied a makeshift tourniquet to his leg. “The courage from some bystanders is amazing in this situation,” NSW Ambulance Superintendent Josh Smyth told reporters. “To put yourself out there is heroic and obviously it did give us time to get to that male patient.”
In the wake of the incident, beaches to the north and south were closed and smart drum lines deployed offshore. However, they were eventually reopened at 12:30 p.m. Friday, after authorities monitored the area with Jet Skis and drones and did not detect any sharks in the area.
However, authorities say that surveillance will continue. “Ahead of the weekend, and noting the forecasted hot temperatures that will attract large crowds to the beaches, drones will continue to provide shark surveillance to the area, particularly at Camden Haven and Crowdy Head, with nippers set to go ahead as scheduled on Sunday,” said a spokesperson.
