Diver ‘killed by shark bigger than 17ft boat’ in second fatal attack in days

A diver whose body was found near Perth in Western Australia suffered “significant injuries consistent with a shark attack”, police have said. She was thought to have been attacked while swimming north-west of Mindarie, a northern suburb of the city, on Sunday morning. Her 43-year-old partner, who was diving with her, felt something brush past him before he noticed a commotion in the water, police said. Three fishermen, who tried to help the woman, described the shark as being longer than their 5.3m (17ft) boat.

The deceased person has significant injuries that are consistent with a shark attack, however the cause of the injuries are yet to be confirmed.

A police spokesman

The woman’s body and her partner were pulled out of the water a few minutes later. While the cause of her death has not officially been determined, the state’s Department of Fisheries agreed it could be a shark attack and has sent a boat to investigate. On Friday, surfer Ben Gerring died three days after he was attacked by a suspected great white shark at Falcon Beach, about 70 miles south of Mindarie. Mr Gerring, 29, had been with a group of surfers when the shark tore off his right leg above the knee. A 4.2m (14ft) shark was caught and killed on Wednesday near the scene but officials could not confirm it was the same one responsible for his death.

shark attack