Sydney beaches close after swimmer dies in first fatal shark attack in decades

Sydney beaches including Bondi and Bronte were closed by Australian authorities as a precaution when the hunt for a great white shark killed a swimmer on Wednesday.

A hunt for the great white shark has killed a swimmer in Australia with several beaches in Sydney now closed including Bondi and Bronte as a precaution on Thursday.

Swimmer dragged to death by a giant shark on Wednesday – the first such death at the city’s beaches in nearly 60 years.

Drum ropes, used as bait for the sharks, were set up near the attack site while drones were deployed as officials searched if the shark was still in the area.

A video shared online shows a shark attack one person on Wednesday afternoon off Little Bay beach, about 12 miles south of Australia’s largest city and near the entrance to Botany Bay.

Police have not released the swimmer’s identity yet.

Dylan Parker, mayor of Randwick Council which includes Little Bay, said: “This has been a complete shock to our community.

“Our shores are our backyard and to have a tragic death in such horrific circumstances is absolutely shocking.”

Local fishermen and seafarers helplessly watched as the predator gored the victim.

One eyewitness recounted how they witnessed the shark “swallow body parts” after tearing apart what they believed to be a man in two.

In the footage, people who heard screams of pain can be seen reacting to the devastating attack.

The attack occurred days before the Murray Rose Malabar Magic Ocean Swim, an annual charity event usually attended by thousands of swimmers at a neighboring beach.

Organizers said they were monitoring the situation and if the event had to be postponed, it would be held on March 6.

A spokesman for the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries said their shark biologists believe a great white shark at least 3 meters (9.8 feet) long was likely to have caused the attack.

It was the first fatal shark attack in Sydney since 1963, the data showed.

Authorities ordered people to stay away from the water on a hot summer day when temperatures hovered around 30 degrees Celsius.

“Some crazy surfers still go out and take the risk but most of us pay attention and just stay out of the water until the sharks are gone. Honestly driving is a lot more dangerous,” said Karen Romalis, said a local resident.