Fatal shark attack claims life of teen in Australia

A 17-year-old girl was fatally attacked by a shark while swimming at Woorim Beach on Bribie Island, north of Brisbane, on Monday.

Emergency services were called to the scene at around 4:45 p.m. local time. Paramedics attempted to save the girl, but she succumbed to her injuries within 15 minutes, police said.

The victim was identified as Charlize Zmuda, a local volunteer surf lifesaver. Her father, Steve Zmuda, said she had been part of the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club since she was eight years old.

“When I got the tragic news yesterday, I was extremely gutted, but we don’t want people to stop coming to the beach,” he told reporters.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the species of shark involved. Police officers reportedly entered the water in an attempt to rescue the girl, but she could not be saved.

The attack is the second fatal shark incident in Queensland in just over a month and the third in Australia in five weeks.

On 2 January, surfer Lance Appleby was killed by a shark at Granites Beach in South Australia. Days earlier, 40-year-old chaplain Luke Walford was fatally bitten while spearfishing near the Keppel Bay Islands in Queensland.

Shark control measures, including baited drum lines and drone surveillance, are in place at Woorim Beach.

Local officials expressed condolences to the victim’s family, with Moreton Bay mayor Peter Flannery calling it a “difficult time for the tight-knit Bribie Island community.”

Queensland’s state MP Ariana Doolan described the attack as “tragic” and urged for privacy and respect for the grieving family.

Since 1791, Australia has recorded over 1,200 shark attacks, more than 250 of them fatal, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database.