A man was killed on Saturday after being attacked by a suspected large shark in waters off northern Sydney, Australian police confirmed.
The incident forced the closure of several beaches in the area.
The victim was dragged out of the surf at Long Reef Beach in the morning but was confirmed dead at the scene, according to a statement issued by New South Wales police.
“A man has died on the Northern Beaches after being bitten by what is believed to have been a large shark,” police said.
Authorities said two broken pieces of a surfboard were recovered from the water and taken for forensic analysis.
The attack is the first fatal shark incident in Sydney since 2022, when 35-year-old British diving instructor, Simon Nellist, lost his life at Little Bay. Before then, the city had not recorded such a tragedy since 1963.
Following the latest incident, beaches stretching from Manly to Narrabeen were immediately shut “pending further notice.”
Police disclosed that emergency services rushed to the site after receiving reports that the victim, whose identity has not been made public, sustained “critical injuries.”
An eyewitness, a fellow surfer, told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph that the man had been surfing between Long Reef and Dee Why beaches.
“Four or five surfers pulled him out of the water and it looked like a significant part of his lower half had been attacked,” the surfer said, according to Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.
He added that lifeguards quickly ordered swimmers and surfers out of the water.
“There was a surf lifesaving guy waving a red flag,” the surfer said. “I didn’t know what it was … but thought I should probably go in (to shore).”