A 35‑year‑old woman was seriously injured after she was bitten by a shark while swimming at Coogee Beach, Sydney, on a Saturday morning.
Emergency services were called promptly and members of the public performed first aid before police and ambulance teams arrived. The victim was then airlifted by helicopter to a hospital and remains in critical condition.
Authorities closed several nearby beaches as a precaution and are investigating the incident. This attack follows earlier shark bites in Australia, a country that records roughly 1,300 shark attacks and 260 fatalities since 1791.
While shark-related injuries are rarer outside Australia, coastal waters often see such incidents, prompting beach management measures such as patrols, warning systems and barrier nets.
In recent weeks, a diver drowned after being bitten by a 4.5‑m shark near Perth, and a father of two was killed by a shark near the city last month.
