A Swimmer Died In A 'Horrific' Shark Attack Involving A 15-Foot Great White In Australia
"To lose someone to a shark attack like this is chilling."
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A swimmer was reportedly killed by a shark in an extremely rare and "horrific" attack in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday.
Emergency services were called to Little Bay Beach, where witnesses saw someone get attacked by what they described as a 15-foot great white shark.
"We heard a yell and turned around [and] it looked like a car had landed in the water," witness Kris Linto told 9news after seeing the incident from the shore. He said there was "a big splash then [...] there was blood everywhere."
Video recorded by a witness shows the shark coming up out of the water and grabbing the swimmer in its mouth. The censored video has been published online by Australian media.
"Oh no!" someone can be heard saying in the video. "Someone just got eaten by a shark!"
Police say they recovered human remains, but the victim's identity has not been released.
"This person had suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of the attack and there was nothing paramedics could do when we arrived on scene," said Lucky Phrachnanh, an ambulance inspector from the area, as reported by the Associated Press.
Little Bay Beach and the surrounding beaches have been closed for the next 24 hours, and warning signs about sharks have been posted.
This is the first time since 1963 that a fatal shark attack has been reported in Sydney.
There were 73 "unprovoked" shark bites recorded globally last year, according to the International Shark Attack File. Nine of those incidents were fatal, and three of the fatalities happened in Australia.
Dylan Parker, mayor of the nearby community of Randwick, mourned the swimmer in a statement afterward.
"To lose someone to a shark attack like this is chilling. We are all in shock," he wrote.
The Randwick City Council also described it as a "horrific" event on Facebook.
The shark has not been found.
This article's left-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.