A man has been rushed to hospital following a shark attack at a holiday hotspot that left him in a serious condition and his surfboard ripped in two.
The man, said to be in his 50s, was identified as Mel Ismail and was taken as a priority following the attack at Glenfield Beach, near Geraldton, in Western Australia. He had been surfing at the beach when he was attacked by the shark at about 9:45am local time.
Serious but stable condition
A Western Australia Country Health Service spokesperson said he was in a serious but stable condition. Police and fisheries staff were seen removing a badly damaged surfboard from the scene and it is being sent for testing to determine what type of shark was involved in the attack.
The beach has since been closed and people have been told to avoid the area, reports ABC News.
Community reaction and calls for review
Geraldton MP and Shadow Fisheries Minister Kirrilee Warr said she has requested further details about the attack from officials. She added: "I do understand the victim is a well-known surfer amongst the community. We're really close-knit and when something like this happens, it does ripple."
"Those first-responders, they would have been confronted with quite a scene, so I do hope that they are also receiving some support in and after this event." She has also renewed calls for the state government to review its shark mitigation strategy.
She continued: "We know millions of dollars is being poured into this mitigation strategy, but it simply is not good enough to stand there and say, 'we have this strategy', but not know if it works."
