Search for missing surfers after evidence of bite marks is found on the SURF board.
Australian police confirmed that the missing surfer was “taken by a shark” after search and rescue teams retrieved a surfboard that was wounded by a “biting mark” from the area of the attack.
The victim, identified by Australian media as 37-year-old Stephen Payne, was attacked by a shark while surfing in Wharton Beach, a remote Western Australian area, police said late Tuesday.
This has reported Australia’s fourth deadly shark attack in recent months.
“We can see that our search is recovery rather than rescue,” said senior sergeant Christopher Taylor, Western Australian State Police, noting that the surfer’s body has not been recovered.
“A surfboard with evidence of a bite has been recovered from the water,” Western Australian State Police said in another statement Tuesday.
Media reports say a shark was found just before the water attack from Wharton Beach, and screams were heard from the area surfing at noon.
Australia’s 7News network said the victim was in chest-deep water, about 50 meters (164 feet) from the coast, along with two other surfers when the victim was attacked. Police said the other surfers couldn’t do anything to help.
In February, a shark killed a 17-year-old girl swimming from an island in eastern Australia, but the 28-year-old surfer was fatally bitten in South Australia a month ago.
On December 28th, the shark fatally bit a 40-year-old man in his neck while robbing a spear from Queensland.
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