Australia Shark Attack Was 'Like a Scene From Jaws'

Dozens of beachgoers at a popular Perth swimming spot watched in shock on Friday as a shark attack left one man dead and triggered a shutdown along the coast. Police say the man was killed while swimming off Sorrento Beach in the city's northern suburbs, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. A witness said two men had been swimming but only one returned to shore. "My friend said, 'Jac, I think there's been a shark attack' and I looked out to the ocean and I could see a pool of blood," said Jacqui Rapaic. Other witnesses described the attack around 50 feet from shore as "like a scene from Jaws," with the man's body tossed in the air.

Witness Darrel Haythornthwaite told 7News the other swimmer made it back to shore and was devastated that he had been unable to save his friend. "He felt bad because he didn't go back to save his mate and I said, 'Nah you couldn't have done that'," Haythornthwaite said. "There's nothing that anyone could have done." Another witness, Ingrid Michell, said the shark dragged the man into deeper water at "a rate of knots." His body has not been recovered. Witnesses said the victim was in his 60s.

The attack, which followed a report of a roughly 8-foot shark in the area, prompted authorities to close beaches for more than 7 miles and deploy water police and helicopters. Regular helicopter shark patrols in the area are due to start later this month. It's the fifth fatal shark attack so far this year in Australia, which usually sees two or three a year, the AP reports. Three spearfishing divers were killed in attacks in May and June. In January, a 12-year-old boy died days after he was attacked by a bull shark at Shark Beach in a Sydney suburb.