Woman critically injured in Sydney shark attack

A 3.5-meter white shark critically injured a 35-year-old woman off Sydney's Coogee Beach on Saturday, June 13, attacking her while she swam with friends about 30 meters from shore.

The woman suffered severe leg and arm injuries, including a 30-centimeter bite on her thigh where bone was exposed. A lifeguard on a paddleboard, Charlie Verco, reached her as the shark pulled her underwater. When she surfaced, Verco grabbed her arm and they paddled back to shore, where other beachgoers helped pull her in.

An off-duty hospital doctor at the beach applied tourniquets to her wounds before she was flown by helicopter to hospital. Police described her condition as critical.

The attack marks the fourth fatal shark incident in Australia this year. Three spearfishing divers have been killed since mid-May, and a 12-year-old boy died in January after a bull shark attack in Sydney Harbour. Australia averages two to three fatal shark attacks annually since 2000, though that figure has climbed as the population grows and water sports like surfing and diving become more popular.