PREDATOR ATTACK

Shark Kills Woman and Injures Man in Front of Horrified Beachgoers

The victims were swimming at a remote, unpatrolled beach.

A bull shark killed a woman and injured a man at a beach in Australia. The terrifying incident happened at Crowdy Bay in the mid-north coast of New South Wales on Thursday morning. Police say the man and the woman are believed to be in their 20s. NSW police Chief Inspector Timothy Bayly said the pair were swimming at the remote, unpatrolled beach when the attack happened. The woman, who has not been identified, died at the scene. A bystander applied a makeshift tourniquet to the male’s leg before paramedics arrived. “[That] potentially saved his life,” Bayly said. “The courage from some bystanders is amazing. To put yourself out there is very heroic and it did give us time to get to that male patient.” Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steven Pearce said scientists are now trying to determine from bite wounds and any witness footage or statements what species of shark was involved in the fatal attack. “It’s a really isolated location up there,” Pearce told Channel 10 Australia. “That made it difficult for emergency services to get there quickly.” Rob Harcourt, emeritus professor of marine ecology at Macquarie University, said it is rare for sharks to bite more than one person at once, unless they were hunting for prey or deterring other animals from intervening. “It is quite unusual, but it’s not unheard of,” Harcourt said.