Australian teenager survives shark attack off Sydney
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — A shark badly injured a teenage boy who was surfing with his father at a popular Sydney beach today, police said, the third shark attack in Australia’s largest city in a month.
The 15-year-old and his father were in the water off the northern beach of Avalon around dawn when the boy was attacked.
“The father heard a scream and turned to see his son thrashing about in the water. Fortunately the shark swam away and the boy was helped to shore by his father,” police said in a statement.
The teenager was flown to a hospital for treatment for leg injuries. Police said the bites “cut through to the bone” but the boy did not appear to have sustained any fractures.
Several beaches were closed after the attack.
Water police and lifeguards were searching for the shark; police hoped to identify its species by the shape of the bite marks.
Many shark species live off Sydney’s beaches, but attacks on humans are relatively rare.
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