Woman dies in shark attack in New Zealand

A woman has died in what appears to be New Zealand's first fatal shark attack in eight years, police said.

Kaelah Marlow, 19, suffered fatal bites to one of her legs when she was attacked while swimming.

Emergency services responded late on Thursday afternoon to reports of a woman "injured in the water" at Waihi Beach, a popular tourist spot 153 kilometres' (95 miles) drive south east of Auckland, a police statement said.

"Indications are that she had been injured by a shark," police inspector Dean Anderson said.

She was dragged from the water with leg wounds and attempts to resuscitate her on the beach failed, media reported.

A doctor who was on holiday joined paramedics, lifeguards and emergency services personnel in attempting to save the woman, Mr Anderson said.

The last fatal shark attack in New Zealand was in February 2013 when a 46-year-old swimmer was mauled at Muriwai Beach, 41 kilometres (25 miles) west of Auckland.

A woman who was in the water five metres away said Marlow was pulled out by a rip current moments before the attack.

Amanda Gould said: "We were in the water at the same time as the girl and her friends.

"They were about five metres in front of us, but they kept getting further and further out.

"She got separated from all her friends and was pulled really far out, beyond where the surfers would sit."

"No one saw her waving out, but I did hear a scream.

"It was so rough and every time they tried to push the boat out it kept coming back in.

"I didn't see any blood... she was alive and when they got to shore. They started CPR straight away," she said.

"It was shocking, surreal, and we were all a bit freaked out. It keeps playing on my mind."