Shark kills woman in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, prompting beach closures

JOHANNESBURG – A 65-year-old woman was killed by a shark at a popular beach off the coast of South Africa’s Eastern Cape province on Oct 20, local authorities said.

“A fatal shark attack occurred at the Orient Beach this morning, resulting in a tragic loss of a swimmer,” a spokesperson for the local municipality told Reuters.

The woman was swimming with a group when she indicated she was in trouble, a witness told the public broadcaster SABC.

“We all realised she’d been bitten by a shark, and she was in a very bad way,” the witness said. “The bites were very severe, but there were only two, one on her thigh and one on her upper arm.”

He said the woman was brought back to shore, where she was declared dead on the beach.

Eastern Cape police said officers who arrived at the scene found her body with open wounds and opened an inquest.

The species of shark involved was not immediately known.

Buffalo City municipality has closed Orient Beach and nearby Eastern Beach until further notice and urged people to exercise caution.

South Africa’s coast has many shark species, but it is popularly known for great white sharks, which draw tourists worldwide for cage diving and shark-watching trips. REUTERS