A woman swimmer was seriously injured in a shark attack in Sydney Harbour and was taken to hospital in a stable condition, authorities said on Tuesday.
Emergency services were called to a private wharf in Elizabeth Bay on Monday evening and found a woman, believed to be in her 20s, with “a serious injury” to her right leg, police in New South Wales state said.
Police said they had been told the woman was swimming off the wharf when the shark attacked her. The incident happened about 20m from the jetty, media reported, citing residents.
While shark sightings along Sydney's ocean-facing beaches are common, attacks in its iconic harbour are rare. Monday's incident took place near the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
“Shark bites are rare. The last incident in Sydney Harbour was in 2009,” Amy Smoothey, senior shark scientist at the New South Wales department of primary industries, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Based on the bite patterns and images provided, the woman was likely attacked by a bull shark, Smoothey said.
Reuters
Shark attacks woman swimming in Sydney Harbour
Image: iStock
A woman swimmer was seriously injured in a shark attack in Sydney Harbour and was taken to hospital in a stable condition, authorities said on Tuesday.
Emergency services were called to a private wharf in Elizabeth Bay on Monday evening and found a woman, believed to be in her 20s, with “a serious injury” to her right leg, police in New South Wales state said.
Police said they had been told the woman was swimming off the wharf when the shark attacked her. The incident happened about 20m from the jetty, media reported, citing residents.
While shark sightings along Sydney's ocean-facing beaches are common, attacks in its iconic harbour are rare. Monday's incident took place near the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
“Shark bites are rare. The last incident in Sydney Harbour was in 2009,” Amy Smoothey, senior shark scientist at the New South Wales department of primary industries, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Based on the bite patterns and images provided, the woman was likely attacked by a bull shark, Smoothey said.
Reuters
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