A surfer dies after a shark attack in Australia on Tuesday and becomes the first person to die from a shark attack in the country.
Surfer dies after shark attack in Australia
A man died Tuesday from injuries sustained after being bitten on the thigh by a shark while surfing at Tuncurry Beach, more than 310 kilometers north of Sydney,
It is the first recorded death from a shark attack so far in 2021 in Australia.
New South Wales authorities say the 59-year-old man had been trying to catch waves at Tuncurry beach when he saw sharks nearby in the water.
The victim was treated by emergency services after being rescued from the water, but his life could not be saved, the New South Wales State Police said in a statement.
Following the incident, Australian authorities closed Tuncurry Beach and a nearby beach in the town of Forster, and launched an operation to search for and identify the shark that attacked the surfer.
According to witnesses, several sharks had been seen swimming in the water in recent days.
This is believed to be the first shark attack in the area since 2016.
The record of shark attacks in Australia kept by Taronga Zoo indicates that, until this incident in 2021, no person had lost their life to a shark attack, although two were previously injured.
In 2020, 8 deaths were recorded, most recently in November, following 27 shark attacks in Australia.
