The number of fatalities due to shark attacks has been steadily growing in Australia.
The country saw its eighth death this year on Sunday morning when a man was bit by a shark at Cable Beach in Western Australia, NBC News reports. The popular tourist spot is on the country’s Indian Ocean coast. The attack occurred at 8:40 a.m. local time.
The 55-year-old man was brought to shore after suffering serious injuries. Police and paramedics tried to treat him, but he died at the scene. He reportedly was bitten on the upper thigh and hand; it’s unknown what species of shark attacked him. The beach is now closed, with a fisheries vessel patrolling the area.
Australia has seen the highest toll in shark attacks this year since 1929, when nine people died. The number of fatal incidents decreased at popular beaches when shark nets were introduced in the 1930s.
The most recent attack took place in Western Australia on Oct. 9. Surfer Andrew Sharped was dragged into the water by a shark on the state’s south coast. His friends saw him pulled from his board, but his body was never recovered after a three-day search, save for his surfboard and parts of his wetsuit.
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