09 June 2024 , 12:25
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A woman had to have part of her arm amputated after three people were attacked by sharks in Florida on Friday.
Three people were injured in two separate shark attacks just 90 minutes apart off the coast of Florida on Friday - with one 45-year-old woman suffering "significant trauma".
The 45-year-old was reportedly swimming with her husband at Watersound Beach at 1:20pm just past a sandbar when a shark snapped its jaw on her midsection, according to Fire District Chief Ryan Crawford.
The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. She has now had part of her left arm amputated, according to authorities.
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People are being warned about the dangerous creatures lurking in the water (@TheMalibuArtist/AFP via Getty I)"She received significant trauma to the midsection, the pelvic area, as well as amputation of her left lower arm," South Walton Fire District Chief Ryan Crawford said, per NBC News.
After the first attack, the beaches in the area began flying double red flags to warn swimmers of the potential threat in the water.
However, a second attack occurred just 90 minutes later at around 2:56pm, four miles away from the first attack.
Two teens - a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl - were injured when they were ambushed by a shark while in waist-deep water.
Shark attacks are more likely in some parts of the USA (Florida Museum)One sustained life-threatening injuries and was rushed to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola Hospital in critical condition. The second teen got away with only flesh wounds on her foot. She was transported to Ascension Bay Medical Center in stable condition.
Both of the attacks occurred in Walton County, which borders the Gulf of Mexico in Florida's panhandle.
"The Gulf is now closed to the public in Walton County in the localised area of the incident. We are encouraging beachgoers to be cognizant that lifeguards and beach deputies may be trying keep people out of the water in the immediate area," the Walton County Sheriff's Office said in a tweet.
It is not clear when the beaches will reopen.
Map shows shark attacks across the world (Florida Museum)McKenzie McClintock, the South Walton Fire District Public Information Officer, told reporters that officials currently do not know how far from land the attacks occurred. They do know that they did not occur near a boat.
During an evening news briefing, Chief Crawford added that it was "extremely unusual" for two shark bite incidents to happen in the same afternoon.
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Sheriff Adkinson Jr. said the last shark attack in the county was back in 2021 and the last shark-related fatality was in 2005, reports abc news.
"This is an anomaly ... everything from it being three victims, to where it's at," the sheriff said. "All we can do is respond control, and mitigate what we can."
Shark bites are quite rare. According to the University of Florida's Shark Attack File, there were 59 unprovoked shark bites last year worldwide. Of those, 10 were fatal.