Drama in Australia

Surfer’s leg washes up on shore after shark attack

(Bild: NSW Polizei)

After the serious shark attack on a surfer in Australia, the extent of his injuries are slowly becoming clear. According to police reports, the 23-year-old's severed leg washed up on the beach some time after the attack and was immediately packed in ice by local residents. 

The victim is being treated at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, where his leg was later airlifted. It is still unclear whether doctors will be able to reattach it, the 9News channel reported.

The young man was attacked by the shark on Tuesday near the well-known Australian seaside resort of Port Macquarie on the east coast. Photos showed his surfboard, part of which the animal had bitten out. The authorities later announced that it was a three-meter-long great white shark.

The shark had bitten a good chunk out of the surfboard.

(Bild: NSW Polizei)

The animals are considered to be the most dangerous predatory fish on earth. The beaches in the region were closed for at least 24 hours.

Wound tied with a dog leash
Eyewitnesses rushed to the victim's aid. A police officer, who happened to be nearby, managed to bind the wound with a dog leash until the emergency services arrived. Several ambulances and a helicopter were deployed. The victim was initially in a critical but not life-threatening condition.

This was the third shark attack in Australia this month. Just last week, a surfer was bitten on the leg just a few kilometers from the center of Perth on the west coast. Doctors stitched up the wound and removed a shark tooth from his leg. Two weeks ago, a man was attacked by a predatory fish while spearfishing near Coral Bay, about 1100 kilometers north of Perth. The victim was also not critically injured.