Teenage girl killed in shark attack in Australia

A 17-year-old girl has tragically died following a shark attack at Woorim Beach, located just north of Brisbane, Queensland. Emergency services responded to reports of a "serious shark bite incident" around 4:45 PM local time on Monday, according to the Queensland Ambulance Service. Despite efforts to treat her, police confirmed that she suffered life-threatening injuries and passed away shortly after 5:00 PM. The area is known for having a high shark population, but the attack took place near the shore in a popular surfing spot that has shark protection measures in place.

Police confirmed the 17-year-old girl was swimming off Bribie Island, just off the mainland where Woorim Beach is located, when she was attacked by a shark, though the species has not been identified. The Queensland Ambulance Service reported that she suffered life-threatening injuries to her upper body, having been bitten on the arm about 100 meters from the shore.

Christopher Potter, who arrived shortly after the attack, told ABC News, "There are a lot of swimming groups that swim along here, morning and afternoon. It's known there are a lot of sharks around Bribie, but this close to shore, it's still a shock."

The beach area is protected by drumlines—barrels anchored to the sea floor with baited hooks to catch sharks that approach too closely. Sharks caught on these lines are either euthanized if they're a target species, or relocated and released if they are not.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner regarding the incident, which marks the second shark fatality in Australian waters this year, following the death of surfer Lance Appleby off South Australia on January 2. The last fatal shark attack in the Greater Brisbane area occurred in 2006, when 21-year-old Sarah Whiley was killed while swimming with friends.

According to the Queensland government, shark attacks in the state are rare, and most shark species do not pose a risk to humans.