Man fatally bitten by shark in Western Australia

SYDNEY — A 55-year-old man who was body-boarding died Sunday after he was attacked by a shark in Western Australia, in the eighth fatal incident this year.

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The man, who has not been identified, was pulled from the water near Cable Beach around 8:40 a.m. with serious injuries. He was treated by police before paramedics arrived and pronounced him dead at the scene.

“It’s a tragic incident, very unexpected, a person going out to have a bit of fun in the water,” Kimberley District Office Police Inspector Gene Pears.

Police shot at the shark which continued swimming in the area for about a half-an-hour after the attack. Witnesses thought it was a tiger shark, which are drawn to the coast to feed.

The victim was body-boarding about 130 feet from the beach when a couple saw the attack. A man rushed into the water and dragged the victim to shore. The man suffered injuries to his leg and hand.

Rangers closed the beach and a boat was assigned to patrol the area.

The last fatal attack was Oct. 9 in Western Australia. The man, Andrew Sharpe, was dragged from his surfboard. His body was not found after a three day search. His surfboard and parts of his wetsuit were recovered.

There were no fatal attacks in Australia last year, CNN reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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