A 65-year-old woman was killed in a shark attack while swimming off the coast of South Africa's Eastern Cape province on Tuesday morning. The incident happened at Orient Beach in KuGompo City, where the woman was swimming with a group shortly after 8am local time (7am BST).
Witness describes severe bites
A witness told South African public broadcaster SABC that the woman indicated she was in trouble before being brought back to shore, where she was pronounced dead on the beach.
"We all realised she'd been bitten by a shark, and she was in a very bad way," the man said. "The bites were very severe, but there were only two, one on her thigh and one on her upper arm."
Beaches closed and warnings issued
The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality confirmed there had been a shark attack that resulted in a "tragic incident." Orient Beach and nearby Eastern Beach have been closed until further notice.
The municipality urged people "to exercise extreme caution and to refrain from entering the water at the affected beaches," adding that warnings were being issued at other beaches.
Global shark attack statistics
There were 65 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide in 2025, up from 47 during 2024, according to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File. Twelve of last year's attacks, including the sole one in South Africa, resulted in human fatalities.
Five of the deadly attacks took place in Australia, where 21 unprovoked shark attacks were recorded. Surfers and those participating in board sports accounted for 32 per cent of unprovoked shark bites, swimmers and waders made up 46 per cent, and snorkelers or free divers accounted for 15 per cent.
