MAN DIES AFTER SHARK ATTACK NEAR THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

CANBERRA, MAY 24 /SRNA/ - A 39-year-old man has died after being attacked by a shark on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, police said.

Police stated that the man was taken to the hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.

“The man was urgently brought to shore after being bitten by a shark near Kennedy Shoal, a shallow reef about 45 kilometers off the coast of the state of Queensland in northeastern Australia,” an unnamed spokesperson for the Queensland Police Service said.

This is the second fatal shark attack in Australia this month.

On May 16, a 38-year-old man was killed in a shark attack near an island off Perth in Western Australia.

According to conservation group data, around 20 shark attacks occur in Australia each year, although most are not fatal. Far more people drown in the sea across the country.

Dozens of beaches along Australia’s east coast, including in Sydney, were closed in January following four shark attacks in two days.

The attacks occurred after heavy rainfall created murky waters that attract sharks and reduce visibility.