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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Rituparna Chatterjee

Man, 29, bitten by shark off Queensland coast in second attack in a month

A 29-year-old man was flown to the hospital and is reported to be stable after a shark attack off the Queensland coast, a Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) spokesperson said.

The incident happened on the Moreton Island, a popular tourist destination north of Brisbane. The man, whose identity was not immediately disclosed, was being treated for abdominal injuries and lacerations to his leg, reports said.

Emergency services arrived at The Wrecks Walking Track on Moreton Island about 3.03pm on Saturday and airlifted the man to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in a stable condition, according to reports.

Authorities have yet to identify the species of shark involved.

David James, the Tangalooma Island Resort director, told ABC he was thankful to hear the man was in a stable condition. "We're really happy it only appears to be a minor bite, he'll make a full recovery," he said.

"That's the best outcome possible with any of these sort of incidents happening."

This is the second shark attack in the bay in less than a month. A 17-year-old girl died after being bitten by a shark while swimming off a beach in the north of Brisbane earlier this month. The attack marked Australia’s third fatal shark incident in just over five weeks. The girl, identified as Charlize Zmuda, "sustained life-threatening injuries and succumbed to those injuries" about 15 minutes later, a Queensland police spokesperson said.

On 2 January, surfer Lance Appleby was killed by a shark at Granites Beach in South Australia. Just days earlier, on 28 December, 40-year-old chaplain Luke Walford was fatally bitten while spearfishing near the Keppel Bay Islands in Queensland.

Shark control measures, including baited drum lines and drone surveillance, are in place at Woorim Beach.

More than 1,200 cases of shark attacks have been reported in Australia since 1791, of which more than 250 were fatal, according to a national database, reported CBS News.

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