AUCKLAND (NEW ZEALAND)- A New Zealand man has been attacked and killed Wednesday by a great white shark in a rare fatal shark at Muriwai beach, north-west of Auckland.
Fatal attack
Police said they fired shots at the shark after a swimmer was fatally bitten on Wednesday at Muriwai beach, about 25 miles north-west of Auckland, one of many beaches dotted along the North Island’s west coast popular for its surfing.
White pointer
Rescue crews were quoted by local media as saying the shark was a “white pointer”, commonly known as a great white, measuring roughly four metres (13ft) long. Witnesses said a rescue helicopter also fired shots at the shark.
Supposedly “one or two” sharks were spotted in the water but none had been seen since the man’s body was removed from the water.
New Zealand
Shark attacks are rare in New Zealand, where water sports and beach holidays are a rite of summer. More than 60 shark species are known to swim in the country’s waters.
The last attack linked with a death was in 2009, when a kayaker was mauled by a great white in the nearby Coromandel Peninsula, although whether the victim drowned before the attack has been disputed.
Read more at The Guardian.