Surfer bitten in half by shark in Australia
Rex
A surfer has been bitten in half in what has been described as a "savage" shark attack in Australia.
The man, thought to be in his early 20s, was surfing at the popular holiday spot of Wedge Island, about 100 miles north of Perth on Australia's west coast, on Saturday morning when he was attacked by a great white shark.
According to Independent Online, a man jet-skiing nearby described the scene as gruesome, and told Australia's ABC television: "There was just blood everywhere and a massive, massive (great) white shark circling the body," he said, estimating the fish was four or five metres (13 to 16 feet) long.
"I reached to grab the body and the shark came at me on the jet-ski and tried to knock me off. I did another loop and when I came back to the body the shark took it."
An extensive air, coast and sea search was underway for the remains of the victim, but a police spokesman told AFP: "At this stage, no remains have been located."
A fisheries spokesman added: "We'll go right through to nightfall tonight, we will then resume that tomorrow morning and make some decisions tomorrow."
It is the fifth fatal shark attack off Western Australia since September 2011; a particularly large number when, on average, there is one fatality a year in the whole of the country.
The increased number of fatal attacks has prompted calls for a cull of sharks, but protests from environmental groups have prevented the idea.
According to the BBC, Tony Cappelluti, of Australia's department of fisheries, told ABC television that the shark would be killed if found.
He told the Western Australia newspaper: "We have placed baited lines in the water near the attack site, in an attempt to catch the shark should it return to the location or pose a threat in the area."
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