A shark fatally attacked a swimmer just outside Sydney on Wednesday in the first such deadly encounter near Australia's cultural hub in nearly 60 years, authorities said.
The attack happened at about 4:30 p.m. local time (12:30 a.m. ET) near Buchan Point, between Little Bay Beach and Malabar Beach, about 10 miles south of the Sydney Opera House, Randwick city officials said.
The attack unfolded as fishers, paddle boarders and other swimmers were nearby but couldn’t help the victim. The identity of the victim remains unknown.
“Unfortunately, this person had suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of the attack, and there was nothing paramedics could do when we arrived on scene,” New South Wales Ambulance Inspector Lucky Phrachanh said.
It's believed to be the area's first deadly shark attack since Jan. 28, 1963, when Australian television, radio and stage actor Marcia Hathaway, 32, was mauled while on a boating trip in Sugarloaf Bay in Middle Harbour.
Mayor Dylan Parker said residents of his community are shocked and saddened by the fatal attack.
“The coast is our community’s backyard. Little Bay is normally such a calm, beautiful place enjoyed by families," Parker said in a statement.
“To lose someone to a shark attack like this is chilling. We are all in shock. Our entire community’s hearts go out to the family of the victim.”
The attack prompted Randwick to close all of its beaches, including Little Bay, Malabar, Maroubra, Coogee, Clovelly and La Perouse, for at least 24 hours.
The city quickly installed signs and barricades to keep swimmers off the beach, officials said.
