A 17-year-old girl was killed in a shark attack while swimming off an Australian island on Monday, officials said.
“Emergency squads were called to Woorim Beach in Queensland to provide medical assistance to the teenager who had sustained serious injuries to her upper body,” an ambulance spokesperson said.
According to police, the teenager was bitten by a shark while swimming in the afternoon off the popular tourist spot on Bribie Island, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the state capital Brisbane.
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Christopher Potter, a resident, said that the beach is usually used by swimming groups throughout the day.
“It’s known there are a lot of sharks around Bribie, but this close to shore, it’s still a shock,” he told Australian public broadcaster ABC News.
The waters near the beach are safeguarded using drumlines, barrels secured to the sea floor with baited hooks designed to capture sharks that get too close.
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