A man is attacked and fatally injured by a shark in the water off a beach near Sydney. Authorities search in vain for the predatory fish.
Sydney – A deadly shark attack occurred on a beach in the Australian metropolis of Sydney on Wednesday (02/16/2022). A 35-year-old man was attacked by the animal. It’s the first shark attack off Sydney in decades.
As the AAP news agency quotes the police, the incident happened in the southeastern suburb of Little Bay. According to the Australian broadcaster ABC, the victim is a diving instructor, citing the authorities. He suffered “catastrophic injuries” in the attack, a spokeswoman for the emergency services said. The police found the body in the sea off the beach.
Deadly shark attack off Sydney: 35-year-old man succumbs to his injuries
Sydney is shocked after the first deadly shark attack in almost 60 years. The Prime Minister of the state of New South Wales, Dominic Perrottet, spoke of a “horrible tragedy”. According to statistics, it was the first deadly shark attack in the metropolis of Sydney since 1963 and the first in all of Australia this year. The police used helicopters, among other things. Boats combed the water looking for more body parts.
An eyewitness told 9News that he heard screams and saw a great white shark more than four meters long in the water. A fisherman standing on a rock nearby said he watched the attack helplessly. “The shark just didn’t stop. It was terrible.”
However, there is still no trace of the predatory fish. The Australian metropolis is currently on the lookout for a great white shark. One is now sure that it must be such an animal. Officials used drones and ropes with bait on Thursday and searched from ships. Beaches in the area from the famous Bondi Beach to Cronulla, around 30 kilometers further south, have been closed but are scheduled to reopen on Friday (02/18/2022).
Sydney: Victim is said to have trained for an event before the shark attack
According to media reports, the man swam almost every day on the beach on Australia’s east coast. Finally, on Wednesday, he trained for a charity swim in the region that was scheduled to take place over the weekend. This has now been cancelled.
Although shark attacks are rare in Australia, they have been increasing for years. This is partly due to the fact that the number of water sports enthusiasts continues to rise. Surfers, who are attacked by the predatory fish because they mistake them for seals, are particularly affected. (as/dpa)
Picture list: © Bianca De Marchi / dpa
