The incident on Saturday is only the second deadly shark attack in Australia’s most populous city after a 35-year-old British diving instructor was killed off a beach in February 2022 – the first such death in Sydney since 1963.
The victim, still unidentified, was pulled out of the Pacific surf onto shore at northern Sydney’s Long Reef Beach but died at the scene, New South Wales police said in a statement.According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the man was in his 50s and was an experienced surfer. He was reportedly surfing with friends when the attack happened just 100 metres (330ft) from the shore.
The man lost both his legs while his surfboard was cut in half, the Herald reported. It was not yet known what species of shark was responsible for the attack.
Images of the scene on local media showed police gathered on the shore and ambulances parked nearby. Drones were scanning the beach for shark activity, according to Australian public broadcaster ABC
