Some Australia beaches shut after woman injured in shark attack

Some Sydney, Australia beaches are closed after a woman was attacked by a shark. Photo by STEVEN MARKHAM /AFP via Getty Images

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Some of Sydney’s most popular beaches were closed on Saturday after a swimmer was attacked by a shark, leaving her in critical condition, the police said.

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The woman, believed to be in her 30s, suffered serious arm and leg injuries, police said. She was pulled from the water by beachgoers who administered first aid before emergency services arrived, according to a post on the force’s website.

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Beaches, including Coogee where the attack occurred, Clovelly, and Bronte — roughly two kilometres from the iconic Bondi — have been closed.

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Australia has seen an unusual spate of shark attacks this year and at least three deaths. Last month, a 39-year-old man died after he was attacked at a shallow reef in waters off the far north of Queensland state. On May 16, a 38-year-old man was killed by a Great White Shark near Rottnest Island off the Western Australia coast.

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In January, a 12-year-old boy died after an attack in Sydney waters, prompting the temporary closure of about 30 beaches across the city’s northern suburbs amid a series of shark sightings.

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Last year, there were five fatal shark attacks countrywide, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database, while the Surf Life Saving Australia reported 357 coastal drowning deaths.

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The last decade has seen an average of 27 shark incidents a year in which people were injured, 2.7 fatalities from attacks and seven that didn’t result in injuries.

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