SYDNEY, May 16 (Reuters) – A man attacked by a shark off the coast of Australia this Saturday has died from his injuries, police said, in what is the second fatal shark attack in Australia so far this year.
The 38-year-old victim, who has not yet been identified, was bitten on Saturday morning at 🏽Horseshoe Reef, near Rottnest Island, about 31km west of the state capital Perth, police said in a statement.
The man was taken to the beach but could not be revived, police said, adding that a report would be prepared for the coroner.
State officials advised people to take extra care in the water off Rottnest Island, a popular tourist destination.
Aerial footage from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation showed a police boat, officers and a rescue helicopter with a stretcher at the scene.
The attack follows the death in January of a boy bitten by a shark in Sydney Harbour, following a series of shark attacks along the country’s east coast.
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Most shark attacks occur along the east and southeast coast of Australia, which records on average about 20 such incidents per year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.