A woman was critically injured in a shark attack off one of Sydney’s most popular beaches on Saturday, the latest in a recent series of incidents in Australian waters.
The victim, believed to be in her 30s, suffered severe injuries to her leg and arm in the attack, which happened about 11:15 a.m. near Coogee Beach, according to a police statement.
Police said the woman was swimming when she was attacked. People nearby pulled her from the water and began administering first aid on the beach before paramedics arrived.
The incident comes amid heightened concern over shark attacks in Australia. Since May 16, three spearfishing divers have been killed by sharks off the country’s coastline, bringing the national death toll from shark attacks this year to four.
Australia has recorded an average of two to three fatal shark attacks annually since 2000, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database, a joint initiative involving the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Flinders University and the New South Wales government.
Bystanders pulled her from the water and commenced first aid on the beach before paramedics arrived, the statement said.
The victim was taken to a rugby field near the beach from where she was flown by helicopter to a hospital. Police described her condition as critical.
Last Saturday, a 15-foot white shark killed Daniel Turpin, 35, as he was spearfishing with family off Michaelmas Island near the port city of Albany in Western Australia state.
On May 24, 39-year-old spearfishing diver Michael Jensz suffered fatal head injuries in an attack on the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s northeast coast.
Bull sharks had been seen in the vicinity.
A week earlier, on May 16, a 13-foot white shark fatally mauled 38-year-old spearfishing diver Steve Mattabonni off the coast of Perth, Western Australia.
Australia’s other fatal shark attack this year occurred in January, when a 12-year-old boy died in a hospital days after he was mauled by a bull shark in Sydney Harbor.
Last year, Australia recorded five fatal shark attacks.
Attacks in Australia have become more common over the decades as the population has grown and activities such as surfing and scuba diving have gained in popularity.
