Sydney, Australia, has reopened Coogee Beach under strict surveillance by water officials and jet ski patrol teams following a shark attack that seriously injured a female swimmer last weekend.
Local authorities reopened Coogee Beach after a shark attack occurred last weekend. The victim was a 35-year-old woman bitten by a shark while swimming about 30 meters from the shore. The shark is estimated to have been about 3 to 4 meters long.
The incident caused severe injuries to her left arm and lower left leg. She was taken to hospital and her condition is now reported as stable.
Local officials have urged tourists and residents to exercise increased caution when entering the water. Randwick City Council, which manages the area, announced that lifesaving officers will continue jet ski patrols throughout the day, alongside New South Wales Marine Rescue drones monitoring for sharks near Coogee Beach.
Coogee Beach, located south of the famous Bondi Beach, is a symbol of Sydney's seaside lifestyle. Its golden sands and distinctive coastal cliffs attract millions of tourists worldwide each year, making water safety a key concern for authorities.
This shark attack is one of several recent incidents along Australian beaches. Just one week earlier, a man died after being attacked by a shark while fishing off the coast of Western Australia.
The previous month, a 39-year-old man died following a shark attack while fishing near the Great Barrier Reef coral reefs in Queensland.
About ten days before that, a 38-year-old man was fatally attacked by a shark near an island close to Perth in western Australia.
Additionally, in January, dozens of beaches along Australia's eastern coast, including several in Sydney, were closed after four shark attacks occurred within just two days.
These incidents followed heavy rainfall, which caused murky seawater believed to attract sharks closer to shore and reduce their visibility.
Although shark sightings near shore remain relatively rare, data from Australia's shark incident database indicate an upward trend. Over the past decade, Australia has averaged nearly 29 shark encounters per year, up from about 16 per year in the 2000s.
Tara Moriarty, New South Wales Minister for Agriculture, said that the past summer saw unusually high shark activity. The government is considering various safety measures, emphasizing technologies like shark-detection drones. This recent incident has reignited debate over shark culling policies, a highly divisive issue in Australia.
Source:channelnewsasia
Read more aboutInternational news