Search under way for shark that killed surfer
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-07-12 08:52

A search was under way Sunday for a shark that attacked and killed a 30-year-old surfer at a popular beach in Western Australia.

The man was believed to have been surfing with friends Saturday in the Indian Ocean at Left Handers beach south of Gracetown, near Margaret River town, when he was knocked off his board.

The Western Australian Department of Fisheries confirmed that the surfer had died but could not provide details of the attack.

A government boat began searching for the shark Sunday, a spokesman said on condition of anonymity.

The department said two sharks might have been involved in the attack. A police spokesman confirmed there were two sharks in the water at the time of the attack, which occurred about 2:10 p.m.

The identity of the man, who police said was a visitor from Perth, has not been released.

Local surfer Bart Mulder said the attack was distressing but would not stop him from surfing.

"We were going to go down to the beach for a surf and a couple of blokes came up and said, 'don't go down there -- somebody's been bitten in half by a shark,"' he told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

"It's the first shark fatality down in the southwest here. It's hard to say how I feel about it, but it won't stop me surfing."

An ambulance official said the victim suffered extensive injuries to the pelvis and abdomen. He died on the beach before medical workers reached him.

A witness who was not named told Sky News television that two teenagers who pulled the victim out of the water said the shark was "as big as a car."

About 20 people were at the beach at the time. Witnesses said there were two sharks in the vicinity up to 5 meters (16.4 feet) long, Channel 7 television reported.

Witnesses said the killer was a great white shark, according to TV reports.

The last fatal shark attack in Australia occurred last year on the Gold Coast in Queensland. An 84-year-old man was killed while swimming in a canal linked to the nearby Pacific Ocean.

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