Shark attack kills Australian tourist at crowded beach in New Caledonia

Nouméa beaches closed after man, 59, dies at the scene after being bitten several times

By Edward Era Barbacena

A shark has killed a 59-year-old Australian tourist near a crowded beach in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia.

The man was swimming close to a pontoon about 150 metres from the beach in the capital, Nouméa, on Sunday when the shark attacked, biting him several times, authorities said.

Two people sailing their boat nearby took him back to the beach, where emergency services tried to save him. He had major wounds to his leg and both arms and died at the scene, despite receiving cardiac massage.

Many people were in the water at the time and witnessed the attack at the Chateau-Royal beach just south of Nouméa. There was a panicked rush back on to the beach and police evacuated the area.

The city’s mayor, Sonia Lagarde, ordered the closure of most beaches in the area and the capture of tiger sharks and bull sharks in nearby waters.

Drones were deployed to track them and two were sighted before operations were suspended at nightfall, according to police.

A local prosecutor, Yves Dupas, said an investigation would shed more light on the circumstances of the attack, which happened inside the zone watched over by lifeguards.

A 49-year-old swimmer was seriously injured by a shark last month, also near the Chateau-Royal beach. A surfer was attacked by a shark a few days later but escaped without injury.

New Caledonia lies south of Vanuatu and 1,200km (750 miles) east of Australia.

It ranks 13th in the world for the total number of shark attacks, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History, which has kept a tally of worldwide shark attacks since 1958.