Man dies after shark attack like 'scene from Jaws' as witnesses watched in horror
A man has died following a shark attack in Perth, with witnesses likening it to a ‘scene off Jaws’.
Emergency services responded to a ‘shark related incident’ at Sorrento Beach, on the west coast of Australia, on Friday morning at about 10:30am local time.
The Western Australia Police Force said in a statement that ‘it was reported a male swimmer had been bitten by a shark while swimming along the coast’.
The individual died as a result of the attack, police added without any further details.
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“It was like a scene from Jaws, where a body is flicked around like a ragdoll,” beachgoer Darrel Haythornthwaite told 7 News Perth.
He claims the man’s friend made it back to shore but ‘felt bad because he didn't go back to save his mate’.
“The shark took his friend from literally 15m off the shore, dragged him like at the rate of knots, out to in front of that buoy there and just mauled him in front of us,” Ingrid Michell added.
Similarly, a witness told WAtoday that she saw the shark ‘tossed him around like a fish’.
"I'm a nurse, so I mean I obviously see a lot of gruesome stuff, but to see somebody being mauled to death in the water in front of me is pretty hard to clock," she said.
"I only live just down the road, and I swim every day. I mean, there's no way I'm going to be getting in that water again."
Jacqui Rapaic explained to national broadcaster ABC that when she looked out at the ocean, she ‘could see a pool of blood’.
In a social media post, WA Premier Roger Cook said he was 'deeply saddened' to hear of the attack.
"This is a heartbreaking tragedy and my thoughts are with the victim's family and loved ones, as well as the first responders who attended the scene," he said.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is investigating the incident.
Australia has averaged between two and three fatal shark attacks a year since 2000, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database.
Topics: Australia, Shark Attacks, Sharks
Anish Vij