A young woman died after a rare shark attack suspect in New Zealand.
Police called the victim Kaelah Marlow, 19, Hamilton.
Marlow was taken out of the water while still alive, but died there despite efforts to save his life. Police said she was apparently injured by a shark.
The attack took place on Waihi Beach, on the North Island, not far from the country’s largest city, Auckland.
“The police extend our deepest condolences to Kaelah’s family and loved ones at this very difficult time,” the police said in a statement.
“We appreciate that her death was extremely traumatic for those who were in Waihi Beach yesterday and we are offering victim support services to those in need,” the statement said.
Shark attacks are uncommon in the country and this is considered the first fatality since 2013. Local media quoted witnesses who said the woman was swimming in front of the lifeguard’s flags on Thursday.
When they heard screams, the lifeguards immediately got out of the boat and pulled her to shore.
It is not clear what type of shark attacked Kaelah Marlow, but an eyewitness claimed it was a great white shark, a protected species in the waters around New Zealand.
“Sharks are fairly common near all beaches in northern New Zealand, most are harmless and even species considered to be dangerous rarely interact with swimmers,” researcher Kina Scollay told the BBC.
“My thoughts and sympathies are with the victim’s family and we need to remember that this is a real tragedy for real people. I worry that it will be lost sight of in the media confusion after such events.”
Scolley said that while attacks are rare, there are ways to be careful about interactions that can go wrong. Among the risk factors are, for example, events of feeding fish or animals killed in the water.
“If a big shark approaches or is seen nearby, people should be calm, warn people nearby and calmly get out of the water,” he said.
A seven-day rahui, a traditional Maori ban that restricts access to an area, was placed on the beach.
The last recorded shark attack was in 2018, when a man was injured – but survived – at Baylys beach. In the past 170 years, there have been only 13 fatal shark attacks documented in New Zealand, according to the country’s conservation department.