Swimmer dies in shark attack after being thrashed ‘like a ragdoll’

A swimmer was mauled to death by a shark in front of beachgoers in Western Australia.

Perth beaches are in a lockdown after the alarm was raised this morning at about 10.30am local time.

The emergency services were alerted to Sorrento Beach after reports of the attack, which happened around 164 ft from the shore.

The male swimmer was seen getting into difficulty as he was thrashed around ‘like a ragdoll’ out in the water, one eyewitness said.

He died as a result of the attack, police confirmed later.

A horrified beachgoer told 7 News Perth: ‘It was like a scene from Jaws, where a body is flicked around like a ragdoll.’

One woman described how the animal grabbed the swimmer from near his friend and dragged him further out before mauling him ‘right in front of us.’

Another witness told 9News the swimmer’s friend on the shore saw the attack unfold, and kept saying ‘I couldn’t save my mate.’

Drones spotted a large great white shark gliding near the surface off Sorrento Beach, but it remains unconfirmed if the individual was behind the attack, nor has the species been officially confirmed.

The council has shut all beaches within the Joondalup area until at least midday tomorrow, according to 9 News.

Earlier this week, a surfer had a narrow escape after being bitten off Glenfield Beach, Geraldton, a surfing spot around 257 north from Perth.

He was rescued by a fellow surfer, but suffered a leg injury as the shark bit off a chunk of his board.

Despite being high-profile incidents, deadly shark attacks are relatively uncommon, even in Australia where the waters are home to around 180 different species.

Australia has seen 237 fatal shark attacks since records began in 1791 and 2018.

Four species are linked to the majority of the deadly attacks: tiger shark, great whites, bull sharks and oceanic whitetip sharks.

The mysterious animal made headlines in the UK last month after a suspected sighting in the waters of Jersey off St Ouen’s Bay at the height of the summer holidays.

A lifeguard reported punching an animal believed to be up to 12 ft long in the water as the popular beach was cleared.

No images were captured of the animal and the species was never confirmed.

Wildlife campaigner Richard Peirce, who has published books on sharks in British waters, said the species could have been a basking shark if it had a large dorsal fin and was close.

Worldwide, sharks killed an estimated 10 people last year, while around 100 million sharks died due to human actions and overfishing, Peirce told Metro.

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