A woman in her 30s is in critical condition after being bitten by a shark off Coogee Beach in eastern Sydney. The attack occurred just after 11 a.m. local time on Saturday.

Police reported that members of the public pulled the woman from the water and administered first aid before emergency services arrived. She sustained severe flesh wounds to her leg and arms, requiring extensive surgery, according to a New South Wales Ambulance spokesperson.

Authorities closed Coogee Beach and several nearby beaches following the attack. A shark-spotting helicopter hovered overhead while jet skis patrolled the waters for any sign of the predator. Council Mayor Dylan Parker stated they are working closely with the NSW government to determine when it is safe to reopen.

This year has seen an unusually high number of shark attacks in Australia, with four fatalities. Australian scientists believe rising ocean temperatures are altering shark migratory patterns, which, combined with increasingly crowded waters, may be contributing to the frequency of attacks.

Witness Nicola Logan described seeing a "massive pool of blood" in the water and the woman "kind of motioning to swim" with "lots of splashing." The incident comes just a week after a man died in a shark attack while fishing on Queensland's Great Barrier Reef, and last month a 38-year-old was killed off an island in Western Australia.

Source: www.dw.com