A teenage lady was critically injured in a shark attack at a Florida seaside on Thursday, authorities mentioned.
The attack occurred at Keaton Beach in northwestern Florida’s Taylor County. The unidentified lady was scalloping in water roughly 5 toes deep close to Grassy Island, simply of Keaton Beach, when she was bitten by a shark, in keeping with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office.
“A family member reportedly jumped in the water and beat the shark until the juvenile was free,” the sheriff’s workplace mentioned in a press release.
The lady suffered “serious injuries” and needed to be airlifted to a hospital in Tallahassee, about 80 miles northwest of Keaton Beach, in keeping with the sheriff’s workplace.
Tallahassee Memorial Hospital listed the affected person in essential situation.
The sheriff’s workplace mentioned the kind of shark that attacked was unclear however it was described as roughly 9 toes lengthy.
“Swimmers and scallopers are cautioned to be alert, vigilant, and practice shark safety,” the sheriff’s workplace added. “Some rules to follow are: never swim alone, do not enter the water near fishermen, avoid areas such as sandbars (where sharks like to congregate), do not swim near large schools of fish, and avoid erratic movements while in the water.”
Shark assaults elevated worldwide in 2021 after three consecutive years of decline, although the earlier 12 months’s considerably low numbers have been attributed to lockdowns and restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, in keeping with yearly research conducted by the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File.
Florida has topped the worldwide charts within the variety of shark bites for many years, and the pattern continued in 2021, researchers mentioned. Out of 73 unprovoked incidents recorded all over the world final 12 months, 28 have been in Florida, representing 60% of the entire instances within the United States and 38% of instances worldwide. That quantity was according to Florida’s most up-to-date five-year annual common of 25 shark assaults, in keeping with researchers.
ABC News’ Alondra Valle contributed to this report.