Shark seriously injures surfer in southeast Australia

Shark seriously injures surfer in southeast Australia

2011-03-23 23:22:04 GMT+7 (ICT)

CROWDY HEAD, AUSTRALIA (BNO NEWS) -- A 48-year-old man was seriously injured on Tuesday evening when he was attacked by a shark near a beach in southeast Australia, police said on Wednesday.

New South Wales police said a man from Coopernook was surfing off the rocks just south of the Crowdy Head headland in the state's north when he was attacked by a shark. It happened at around 6.45 p.m. local time.

"During this time an eight foot long shark attacked him, biting his left upper forearm for a short time," a police spokesperson said. "The 48-year-old man suffered a deep cut to his arm and a cut on his forehead." The shark has also bitten the man's surfboard.

Fellow surfers came to the man's aid until emergency services arrived, who transported him to John Hunter Hospital to undergo surgery on his arm. His injuries are not considered to be life-threatening.

Earlier this month, a shark severely injured a 24-year-old woman while she was wakeboarding near Jimmys Beach at Nelson Bay, also in New South Wales. The shark dragged her under water several times and caused severe injuries to her head, shoulder, neck and arms.

It is not known if the same shark is responsible for both attacks.

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