Shark kills Australian tourist in New Caledonia

Shark kills Australian tourist in New Caledonia

Bangkok, The Gulf Observer: An Australian tourist has died after being attacked by a shark in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, in the South Pacific.

The man had been swimming some 150 meters off a busy beach in the capital Nouméa when he was attacked by a shark and bitten several times on Sunday afternoon, local broadcaster 1ère Nouvelle Calédonie reported.

He was brought to shore by two rescuers on jet skis but all attempts to resuscitate him failed, also due to the severity of the injuries to his legs, the broadcaster said, according to dpa.

Following the attack, Mayor Sonia Lagarde ordered the closure of all beaches in and around Nouméa until further notice, a Monday statement said.

Drones were deployed to locate the shark. It was initially unclear what type of shark attacked the man.