A woman has died and a man has been seriously injured after a shark attack at a remote beach in the Australian state of New South Wales.
Police said the woman, believed to be aged in her 20s, died at the scene, while the man, also believed to be in his 20s, was airlifted to a hospital in Newcastle in critical condition.
Paramedics had been called to the beach at Crowdy Bay, in Crowdy Bay National Park about 300km north of Sydney, early on Thursday morning local time, police said. Witnesses had tried to help the pair before paramedics arrived.
The beach has now been closed and police were liaising with experts from the Department of Primary Industries to determine the species of shark involved.
Surf Life Saving NSW said the man had suffered lacerations to the thigh. Surrounding beaches would also be closed for 24 hours while drones surveilled the area, it said.
“This is a terrible tragedy and our deepest condolences go to the families of the woman and man involved,” Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said.
“For now, please remain clear of the water at beaches in the vicinity and follow the direction of lifeguards.”
This is the fifth fatal shark attack in Australia this year. The most recent was less than three months ago, when a man was killed in a rare shark attack in Sydney’s northern beaches.
