A 16-year-old girl was reportedly killed after being attacked by a shark while swimming in a river in Western Australia.
According to BBC, she was found dead in the Perth suburb of Fremantle on Saturday after being dragged from the Swan River.
The teenager, from Perth, is thought to have been riding jet skis with pals on the river when the incident occurred.
Join Our WhatsApp Channel for Exclusive Stories, News Reports, and Engaging Content. {Click Here}
According to Insp Paul Robinson of Western Australia Police, the girl may have dived into the sea to swim with dolphins sighted nearby.
He described the incident as “very, very traumatic” and the family of the girl was “absolutely devastated by the news”.
People have been urged to take “additional caution” and to abide by any beach closures.
Fisheries experts say it is unusual to find sharks in that part of the river, Mr Robinson said.
This is believed to be the first fatal shark attack in the Swan River since a 13-year-old boy was killed in January 1923.
Australia typically records about 20 shark attacks each year, with most in New South Wales and Western Australia.
There were two fatal shark attacks in 2021, and seven in 2020.
Historically, dying from a shark bite is not common. In more than a century of records, Australia’s shark attack mortality rate is 0.9 – less than one person per year.