MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Authorities in Australia report that a spearfisher died Saturday in what marks the country’s third deadly shark encounter within a four-week period.
The victim, a 35-year-old man, was underwater fishing with relatives near Michaelmas Island close to the port city of Albany in Western Australia state when the attack occurred before midday, according to a police statement.
Family members transported the man by watercraft to Albany where emergency medical personnel were standing by, but efforts to save his life were unsuccessful, police reported. Officials believe a 4.5-meter (15-foot) white shark carried out the attack.
This cluster of three deaths represents an unusual pattern for a country that typically records approximately three shark-related fatalities annually over recent decades.
The most recent previous death happened on May 24 when 39-year-old spearfisher Michael Jensz sustained fatal head trauma during an attack along the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s northeastern coastline. Bull sharks had been spotted in that area.
Seven days before that incident, on May 16, a four-meter (13-foot) white shark killed 38-year-old spearfisher Steve Mattabonni in waters northwest of Albany near Rottnest Island.
Earlier this year in January, Australia recorded its only other fatal shark incident when a 12-year-old boy passed away at a medical facility several days after being attacked by a bull shark in Sydney Harbor.
