A Swiss tourist was killed and another seriously injured in a shark attack while swimming in the sea off Australia’s east coast.
Police said a woman believed to be in her 20s died at the scene while a man, believed to be in his 20s, was in critical condition at a hospital in Newcastle, a city about 160 kilometers north of Sydney.
Emergency services were called on Thursday morning to Kilies Beach in Porty Bay near Port Macquarie, about 350 kilometers north of Sydney, after reports from South Wales State Police said.
The chief of police. Timothy Bayly said at a press conference that the couple met.
The Swiss Ministry of Finance confirmed that both victims were Swiss nationals, Reuters reported.
“One Swiss National lost his life, and another Swiss National was injured,” the statement said.
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New South Wales Ambulance Supt. Josh Smyth said a Witness on the beach used a “makeshift shirt,” which saved the man’s life and gave emergency services time to treat him.
“The courage from some of those present is amazing in this situation,” he told reporters.
“To put yourself out of the blue, and obviously give us time to get to that male patient,” he added.
According to the Department of Basic Industries, shark watching is likely to include a large bull shark. Males can grow to seven meters in length, while females grow to 11 meters or more. Adults typically weigh between 200 and 500 pounds, according to the National Wildlife Federation’s website.
The beach remains closed while the sharks are identified and tagged in an area so they can be tracked and released, the BBC reports.
In 2024, there were nine unprovoked shark attacks in Australia and zero detentions. Worldwide, there were 47 attacks and seven deaths, according to the national report on shark attacks.
While attacks are rare, they occur more often when a person is wading in the water near a shark, which can lead to injury if the shark is provoked by the OPP.
Bull shark swimming.
Gerard Sound via Getty Images
In February, a Canadian vacationer in Turks and Caicos had two in his hands with a seven-foot shark while swimming in deep water.
Shark bites in the waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands are rare, with only one fatal attack reported last year.
In August, a paddleboarder in Nova Scotia was outraged after a great white shark died on his side.
Kent Walsh was outside Paddle of Cherry Hill Beach on the south shore when he was knocked into the water and saw the shark struggling to get its jaws on his board.
Walsh said he first hit the shark on the head with his paddle, and eventually broke off the board, allowing him to reach the unmarked shore.
Of all sharks, bull sharks are often considered dangerous to humans because of their aggressive nature and ability to migrate and survive in new waters. Statistically, sharks are more likely to be killed by human activities than humans by shark attacks.
In a typical year, less than 20 people are killed by shark attacks, but more than 20 million sharks die in relation to the fishing industry.
– With files from Reuters and World News’ Katie Scott
& Copy 2025 Global News, Division of Corse Entertainment Inc.
