A 17-year-old girl has been killed by a shark while swimming in Queensland, Australia.
Paramedics were called to the scene at Woorim Beach, just north of Brisbane, at about 4.45pm local time as they responded to a “serious shark bite incident”, the Queensland Ambulance Service said on X.
The girl is understood to have suffered injuries to her upper body when she was attacked while swimming on the southeast end of Bribie Island, north of Brisbane, Australian news broadcaster ABC News reports.
No details on the shark have been released yet.
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Local Christopher Potter, who got to the beach just after the attack happened, told ABC News: “There are a lot of swimming groups that swim along here, morning and afternoon.
“It’s known there are a lot of sharks around Bribie, but this close to shore, it’s still a shock.”
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Surf Life Saving Queensland said in a statement: “Woorim Beach will remain closed until further notice.”
It is the second fatal shark attack in Queensland in just over a month.
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In December, a 40-year-old church pastor died when he was mauled by a shark while spearfishing off the coast of Central Queensland.
There are more than 100 shark species living in Queensland’s waters, according to the state’s government website.
“Shark bites in Queensland happen rarely and most shark species do not pose a risk to people,” the website states.
