A woman has been killed and a man seriously injured after a shark attacked them during an early morning swim at Kylies Beach in Crowdy Bay National Park on Australia’s east coast, police said on November 27. Emergency services were called to the scene around 6:30 am local time, but the woman died on the beach despite bystanders providing first aid. The man, also in his mid-twenties, was airlifted to hospital in serious but stable condition.
Authorities have since closed beaches in the area indefinitely. Police say the victims were known to each other, and investigators are working with experts to identify the shark species responsible. Specialists note that a single shark attacking more than one person is exceptionally rare. The state government has deployed five drumlines (i.e. offshore fishing lines used to catch sharks) off Kylies Beach in an effort to catch the animal.
As concern grows over shark activity along Australia’s coast, click through this gallery to learn more about the beaches with the most recorded shark attacks worldwide.