The man was bitten by a shark at Sorrento Beach in Western Australia on Friday, Sept. 18
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- A swimmer was killed in a shark attack off Sorrento Beach in Western Australia on the morning of Friday, Sept. 18
- The man was bitten by the shark and died from his injuries, with a witness calling the incident “shocking”
- It is not currently known what species of shark was involved, but a local outlet reported that a 16-foot great white shark was spotted in the area
A swimmer has died after he was attacked by a shark at a beach in Australia.
On Friday, Sept. 18, emergency services were called to Sorrento Beach in Western Australia at around 10:15 a.m. local time to reports of a “shark-related incident,” according to the BBC.
It was reported to police that a man had been bitten by a shark “while swimming along the coast,” according to a Western Australia Police statement, published by U.K. outlet Sky News.
Credit: Getty
Although boats and helicopters were deployed to help the man, he died from his injuries.
Police have not given details about the victim and did not confirm whether a body had been recovered from the ocean, per Sky News.
Authorities did not say which species of shark was involved in the attack, but a 16-foot great white shark was spotted in the area, according to Australian outlet Nine News.
“I was sitting here looking out [at] the ocean and saw a splash, and then a guy came and saw me and said, ‘Shark, shark’,” Darrel, a witness, told the outlet.
Credit: Getty
“I feel for his mate, he’s apologizing, he said, ‘I couldn’t save my mate’. I said, ‘You couldn’t have done anything.’ ”
“I don’t really know how to put it into words, it’s just a shocking thing,” he added.
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Western Australia’s Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis reportedly ordered the shark to be destroyed, per the outlet.
Authorities are monitoring the shark and had not successfully caught it as of Friday evening local time, according to news.com.au.
This is the fifth fatal shark attack off the coast of Australia in 2026, Sky News reported.
Western Australia Police and Jackie Jarvis did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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