The swimmer was said to have suffered ‘catastrophic injuries’
A swimmer has died in Sydney’s first fatal shark attack in nearly 60 years, officials have said.
Reports suggest the shark was 4.5 metres in size and caused “catastrophic injuries” to a swimmer who was said to be wearing a wetsuit.
Emergency services were called to Buchan Point, Malabar around 4.35pm local time on Wednesday following reports of an attack.
It is the first fatal shark attack in the city since 1963.
“Some guy was swimming and a shark came and attacked him vertically,” witness Kris Linto told the Nine network.
“We heard a yell and turned around – it looked like a car had landed in the water.”
Video from the scene, the Daily Mail reported, shows local fishermen watching on as the swimmer is attacked by the shark, which they saw “swallow parts of his body” after ripping it in two.
The swimmer’s remains were found in the water a short time afterward.
The attack was said to have happened in front of dozens of fishermen and other beachgoers, who are said to have heard the swimmer’s screams before the attack unfolded.
A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman said the patient suffered “catastrophic injuries and there was nothing paramedics could do”.
According to Sky News, the New South Wales state government has spent millions of dollars on technology in an attempt to reduce shark attacks along its coast, deploying 51 nets at beaches as well as drones and shark listening stations.
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