“We assume they will be pretty traumatized,” Queensland Police’s Inspector Elaine Burns said of the other men who witnessed the attack
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NEED TO KNOW
- A 39-year-old man has died after a shark attacked him during a spearfishing trip with three other men in Australia on May 24
- “We believe the man had been spearfishing when he was attacked,” said Elaine Burns of the Queensland Police Service
- Another man died in a shark attack in Australia on May 16
A man has died after being attacked by a shark during a spearfishing trip.
The shark attacked the unidentified victim, 39, at Kennedy Shoal on the Great Barrier Reef off North Queensland in Australia on Sunday, May 24, according to the Queensland Police Service (QPS).
“We believe the man had been spearfishing when he was attacked,” QPS Inspector Elaine Burns said during a conference, adding that three other men were with him far away from shore. “He was retrieved from the water by another person who was with him in the water.”
Officials were notified of the incident around 11:50 a.m. local time. An hour later, the men’s vessel arrived at the Hull Head boat ramp, where the victim — who had sustained a critical head injury — was declared dead.
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“We assume they will be pretty traumatized. That’s quite a terrifying thing to see happen right in front of you,” Burns added. “And we’ll continue provide whatever support with can to the family and those men who were on board with him.”
The boat’s exact whereabouts at the time of the attack is unknown, as well as the type of shark involved.
There were no other reported injuries. The investigation is ongoing.
“This is a tragic incident for everyone involved,” the police inspector said.
Another man died during a shark attack in Australia on May 16.
Steven Mattabon was fatally attacked by a shark while in the water at Horseshoe Reef, near Rottnest Island, the St. John WA Ambulance said in a statement to PEOPLE at the time.
Mattaboni, 38, was believed to have been attacked by a 13-foot great white shark.
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