Advertisement

Surfer loses part of leg in likely shark attack in Australia

By Allen Cone
Observers at Falcon Bay beach said they saw a great white shark about 1 mile offshore hours before a surfer's leg was partially bitten off. Officials said it's unclear what type of shark injured the man. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI
Observers at Falcon Bay beach said they saw a great white shark about 1 mile offshore hours before a surfer's leg was partially bitten off. Officials said it's unclear what type of shark injured the man. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo

MANDURAH, Australia, May 31 (UPI) -- A surfer lost part of his right leg when he was attacked by what was believed to be a shark in Western Australia.

The man, thought to be in his late 20s, was surfing at Surfbreak Lookout at Falcon Bay beach, south of Mandurah, when he was attacked from behind at 4 p.m.

Advertisement

Fellow surfers dragged him out of the ocean and he was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

Doctors worked to stabilize him for air transport about 40 miles to Royal Perth Hospital. He was listed in critical condition.

Falcon Bay cafe worker Shaimous Wright said two men rushed in asking for ice because someone's leg had been bitten off.

RELATED Study: Sharks have personalities

Jodie Hough, a local resident, said the man was still conscious when he was brought from the beach.

The men's leg was missing from the knee down. The severed leg was packed with ice.

Ian Barker, who helped pull the surfer out of the water, told Seven News he heard someone shout "shark."

"I paddled out to them, they needed a hand and that's when I saw this fellow," Barker said. "He was very pale. They had him propped up on a surfboard paddling in."

Advertisement

Before 8 a.m., a great white shark was seen about 1 mile offshore but the species of the shark that attacked the man was not known.

Latest Headlines