MELBOURNE, Australia — A woman suffered critical injuries off a popular Sydney beach on Saturday, marking the latest in a series of shark attacks in Australia.
The victim, thought to be in her 30s, sustained severe leg and arm injuries during the 11:15 a.m. attack at Coogee Beach, according to a police statement.
Since May 16, three spearfishing divers have been killed by sharks along the Australian coast, raising this year’s fatality count to four.
Australia has averaged two to three fatal shark attacks annually since 2000, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database, a collaboration involving the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Flinders University, and the New South Wales state government.
On Saturday, police reported that the victim was swimming when the attack occurred. Bystanders rescued her from the water and initiated first aid on the beach before paramedics arrived, the statement noted.
She was taken to a nearby rugby field and then airlifted by helicopter to a hospital, where police described her condition as critical.
Last Saturday, a 4.5‑meter (15‑foot) white shark killed 35‑year‑old Daniel Turpin while he was spearfishing with family off Michaelmes Island near Albany, Western Australia.
On May 24, 39‑year‑old spearfishing diver Michael Jensz suffered fatal head injuries during an attack on the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s northeast coast, where bull sharks had been observed.
A week earlier, on May 16, a four‑meter (13‑foot) white shark fatally mauled 38‑year‑old spearfisher Steve Mattabonni off the coast of Perth, Western Australia.
Australia’s other fatal shark attack this year occurred in January, when a 12‑year‑old boy died in hospital days after being mauled by a bull shark in Sydney Harbor.
Last year, Australia recorded five fatal shark attacks. Incidents have risen in recent decades as population growth and participation in activities like surfing and scuba diving have increased.
