Tourismupdated 1h ago2 min read
Shark Kills 65-Year-Old Woman Swimming At Orient Beach In South Africa’s Eastern Cape
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A 65-year-old woman died after a shark attack at Orient Beach in the Eastern Cape. Beaches including Orient Beach and Eastern Beach were closed following the attack.
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65-Year-Old Dies
A 65-year-old woman died after being attacked by a shark while swimming at Orient Beach in South Africa's Eastern Cape province on Tuesday morning. A witness told SABC that the woman was swimming with a group after 8 a.m. when she indicated she was in trouble, and the witness said, "We all realized she'd been bitten by a shark, and she was in a very bad way."
The witness said the bites were very severe and that there were only two, one on her thigh and one on her upper arm, and the woman was brought back to shore where she was declared dead on the beach. The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality closed Orient Beach and nearby Eastern Beach until further notice after the fatal attack in KuGompo City, and the municipality warned beachgoers to stay out of the water and exercise extreme caution.
Witnesses Describe Bites
The witness described how the woman signaled she was in danger after eight in the morning, and the witness said, "We all realized she'd been bitten by a shark, and she was in a very bad way." The witness said the bites were very severe but that there were only two, one on her thigh and one on her upper arm, and the woman was brought back to shore where she was declared dead on the beach.
The local municipality said in a social media post that there had been a shark attack in KuGompo City that resulted in a "tragic incident." Police opened an inquest into the woman's death, and local authorities closed Orient Beach and nearby Eastern Beach until further notice, warning residents and tourists to stay out of the water.
Tourism and Warnings
Local authorities closed Orient Beach and nearby Eastern Beach until further notice, and the closures were paired with warnings for residents and tourists to stay out of the water. The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality issued a public notice warning beachgoers to stay out of the water at the affected beaches and to exercise extreme caution, and it said relevant authorities were handling the incident at the scene.
South Africa's coastline is home to several shark species, including great white sharks, which attract tourists for shark-watching and cage-diving activities, according to Africanews. The witness told SABC that the woman was swimming with a group after 8 a.m. and that she was declared dead on the beach after being brought back to shore.