New details about the fatal attack Shark bites off arm of Swiss woman (25) - boyfriend (26) swam with her to the shore
A Swiss exchange student in Australia tried to save his girlfriend from a shark - and suffered serious injuries himself. All help came too late for the young woman. The police are now analyzing the GoPro footage of the two of them.
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- A 26-year-old Swiss diving instructor battled a bull shark on a deserted beach in New South Wales on Thursday to save his girlfriend.
- The 25-year-old Swiss woman lost her left arm in the attack and died despite immediate help on the beach.
- The man was bitten twice, but nevertheless brought his girlfriend to the shore and alerted the rescue services - a passer-by probably saved his life.
It was shortly after sunrise on Thursday morning when the Swiss couple went into the water at the remote Kylies Beach in the state of New South Wales. Disaster struck just a few minutes later: According to the authorities, an adult bull shark attacked - an animal that can grow up to three meters long.
The woman (25) was bitten several times and lost an arm in the water. Her partner, a newly qualified diving instructor (26), was already out of the immediate danger zone when he noticed that she was not swimming back. Despite the situation, he returned to the water. He was also bitten twice on the leg.
On the beach with the last of his strength
The man nevertheless managed to bring his seriously injured girlfriend to the shore. On the beach, he grabbed his cell phone and ran up the dunes to alert the rescue services. According to the police, it was a passing camper who presumably saved his life with an improvised tourniquet on his leg.
All help came too late for the woman. She died on the beach from her serious injuries. The man was flown by helicopter to Newcastle Hospital and is in a stable condition, according to the authorities.
GoPro recordings should bring clarity
Particularly tragic: a few minutes before the attack, the woman filmed dolphins swimming past them. It is unclear whether the shark attack itself was recorded on the camera. The police have seized the device and are analyzing the footage. A forensic report has been announced.
The beach is not monitored, there are neither rescue personnel nor shark detection systems that can report the movements of tagged animals. The nearest warning system is around 30 kilometers away.
After the attack, the authorities used drones and so-called drumlines to track down the shark - so far without success. There have been several serious shark attacks in New South Wales in recent months.
