17-Year-Old Girl Killed by Shark at Popular Tourist Beach

A 17-year-old girl tragically lost her life to a shark attack at a well-known tourist beach in Australia on Monday. This incident marks the third fatal shark attack in Australia in a span of less than six weeks. The Queensland Ambulance Services were called to respond to a severe shark bite incident at Woorim Beach, located north of Brisbane, around 4:45 p.m. local time. Despite the swift response of paramedics, the teenager succumbed to severe upper body injuries within 15 minutes of the attack.

The teenager was reportedly swimming about 100 yards off Bribie Island when the shark attacked. Local reports suggest that the girl was bitten on the arm. The beach where the incident occurred is known to have drumlines in place. These are barrels anchored to the sea floor with baited hooks, serving as a shark-control measure. Some of the sharks caught on these hooks are euthanized, while others are relocated.

In recent weeks, other victims of shark attacks have been reported in the region. A 28-year-old man, Lance Appleby, was attacked while surfing at Granites beach in South Australia on January 2. Appleby went missing before rescuers could reach him and was declared dead after a five-day search. On December 28, a 40-year-old pastor, Luke Walford, was fatally bitten on the neck by a shark while spearfishing near Queensland’s Keppel Bay Islands National Park, which is part of the Great Barrier Reef.

Australia has seen a significant increase in deadly shark attacks over the past two years. In 2023 alone, there were five attacks off the Australian coast, three of which were fatal. Historical data shows that Australia has recorded more than 1,200 shark attacks since 1791, with over 250 of these attacks resulting in fatalities, representing more than 20% of the total attacks.