Teen survives Texas shark attack

GALVESTON, Texas, July 14 (UPI) -- A 14-year-old North Carolina girl survived a shark attack in waist-deep water near Galveston, Texas, but had her foot badly damaged.

Lydia Paulk was with an aunt and a 6-year-old cousin when she felt something hit her leg Wednesday, the Galveston Daily News said.

"A couple of seconds later, she felt something grab her foot, and that was the moment she was bitten," said Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo of the Galveston County Sheriff's Office.

The shark was described as 4 to 5 feet long, and was probably a black tip shark, based on witness accounts.

The girl's aunt pulled her onto a small boat and got her to shore where towels were used to wrap her foot.

Doctors at University of Texas Medical Branch removed several shark teeth from the wound before operating to repair severed tendons, the newspaper said.