(Sydney) A 16-year-old girl died on Saturday after being attacked by a shark while swimming in a river in Western Australia, authorities said.
The girl was seriously injured by this shark of an unknown species in the Swan River, in Fremantle on the outskirts of Perth, according to a statement from the state government.
She was pulled from the water and pronounced dead at the scene after attempts to revive her failed, said Paul Robinson of Fremantle Police.
“It’s still very early, what we know is that she was at the river with friends,” he said at a press conference.
“They were on jet skis. A pod of dolphins were seen nearby and the girl jumped into the water to swim with the dolphins,” he continued.
The girl’s family, from Perth, are “totally devastated by the news” of the “very, very traumatic incident”, he added.
Experts say it’s not common to find sharks in this part of the river, Robinson said.
The state government has urged people to exercise “more caution” in the Swan River and to respect beach closures.
It was the first fatal attack in the Swan River since the death of a 13-year-old boy in January 1923, in Claremont on the outskirts of Perth, according to information at the time and an updated database. by the Taronga Conservation Society.
The last fatal attack in a river in Australia dates back to 1960, when a bull shark with an estimated length of 3.3 meters attacked a diver at Roseville Bridge in Sydney, according to this database.
In February 2022, a 35-year-old British diving instructor, Simon Nellist, was devoured off Little Bay beach in Sydney, the first such attack since 1963 in the country’s largest city.
According SportsAustralia4.5 million Australians swim regularly and at least 500,000 go surfing.