According to local media, the tragedy happened on the afternoon of February 4. The girl mentioned above rode a jet ski on the river with her friends at about 3:20 pm. She then jumped into the water to swim with a school of dolphins near the Fremantle Bridge.
Police Inspector Paul Robinson said the victim’s friends witnessed the shark attack. Despite being pulled out of the water and given first aid, the girl died at the scene.
This is the first fatal shark attack in the Swan River in a century. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Witness Joshua, 16, and a group of friends saw a jet ski and nearby swimmers rushing to shore. Joshua recalls: “We were seven. There were dolphins there. When the police arrived, we thought we were in trouble. However, they didn’t say anything. Then another person rode a motorcycle. The water came and told us to get out of the water.”
The Western Australian State Government is warning people to exercise extra caution when engaging in activities in the Swan River and to comply with all beach closure orders.
This is the first fatal shark attack in the Swan River in a century, WAtoday.com.au reports.
Earlier, on January 14, 2021, a man named Cameron Wrathall was also attacked by a shark – suspected to be a bull shark, 2-3 meters long. Mr Wrathall was bitten on the thigh and required emergency surgery to survive. This is the first shark attack in the Swan River in more than 50 years.
The fatal bull shark attack in the Swan River a decade ago was in 1923. A 13-year-old boy was bitten on the thigh while swimming, resulting in his death.