Shark attack leaves one dead on Australia's Great Barrier Reef

A 39-year-old man died after being attacked by a shark this Sunday (24), while fishing in the Great Barrier Reef, police said. It was the second fatal shark attack in Australia this month.

He was part of a group of four people who took a seven-metre-long boat to Kennedy Shoal, a shallow reef about 45 km off the coast of Queensland state in northeastern Australia.

"We believe the man was spearfishing when he was attacked and died from a serious head injury," Inspector Elaine Burns of the Queensland Police Service told reporters. "He was pulled from the water by another person who was with him at the time of the attack."

It took the boat more than an hour to reach shore after calling emergency services, Burns said.

"He was pronounced dead at the boat ramp."

Police did not identify the man. Burns said it was not yet clear what type of shark had attacked him and added that no one else was injured in the attack.

On May 16, a 38-year-old man died after being attacked on an island near Perth, Western Australia.

There are about 20 shark attacks in Australia every year, but the vast majority are not fatal, according to data from conservation groups. A much larger number of people drown on the country's beaches.

Dozens of beaches along Australia's east coast, including in Sydney, were closed in January after four shark attacks in two days. These attacks occurred after heavy rain created murky water that attracts sharks and reduces their visibility.

Source: CNN