[ad_1]
Broken emails
Receive alerts and special reports. News and stories that matter, delivered in the morning on weekdays.
A 13-year-old boy was seriously injured and transported by helicopter to a hospital after being attacked Saturday by a shark off the coast of Encinitas, California, officials said.
The boy, who was not identified, "suffered traumatic injuries to the torso" during an incident at 6:55 am near Beacon's Beach, said Captain Larry Giles, Supervisor of survival at Encinitas. would undergo an operation on Saturday afternoon.
After the attack, the boy was brought back to the beach by three good Samaritans by kayak. Thirty people had dipped in water for lobster fishing on the first day of the season, said Giles and a witness.
Lifeguards on site provided life support before the boy was taken to a trauma center, Giles said. The boy was aware when he was saved by passers-by and when he was transported by helicopter, he said.
"There were about 30 people in the water, and then we heard this kid scream – and I thought he was coming, you know, maybe his first virus [lobster]I'm happy for him, "said Chad Hammel, one of the kayakers who helped rescue the boy.
"And then I sort of heard that" I've been bitten, "said Hammel." There was a seal swimming around us, so I put two and two together. When I started paddling towards him, there was a big old man, you know, a vigil of blood behind him. "
Once on the kayak, Hammel said that "the boy's entire back was open". The boy stated that the shark had attacked him from the collarbone and back, and that the shark's teeth had cut off part of his cheek.
One of the three men was swimming with his fins and Hammel rowed towards the shore, but "the shark followed," said Hammel.
"He was not really pursuing, but he was sort of waiting to see what was going to happen," he said. It was the first time the boy had gone out for lobster, Hammel said.
Bystanders said the shark was about 11 feet long, Giles said. The boy was in about 9 feet of water at 150 to 200 meters from the beach. One of his parents was on the beach at that time.
"We are obviously concerned about public safety and the beaches will be closed for now," said Giles. "We are asking people not to go in the water."
Witnesses said there was a seal in the area at the time of the attack, Giles said. Seals are prey for some types of sharks, including large whites. Hammel said "it looked like a white". The officials were working with a marine scientist to determine the type of shark involved.
The boy's family is asking for privacy but said he appreciates the support she has received, said Dr. Tim Fairbanks, chief of the Pediatric and Traumatology Division at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego, in a statement.
"The family is totally focused on their child right now," Fairbanks said.
He added that the boy was diving freely for lobster when he was attacked.
The waters on the beaches were closed from La Costa Avenue around South Ponto Beach south of Swami Beach and would remain closed for 48 hours to see if there was longer shark activity in the area. Giles said.
"Since the incident, we have not seen any activity related to sharks," he said.
A surf competition on the beach was canceled on Saturday and a sheriff's helicopter was flown to observe any sign of shark, among other measures. If there is more activity, closing the beach could end Monday at 7 am, Giles said.
"We do not want anyone to be hurt, that 's why we take the precautions we take," Giles said.
One of three kayakers who helped rescue the boy was a police officer from the Oceanside town, another was a lifeguard from the State Park of California and the third was a of their friends, said Giles.
Some recent shark attacks have occurred in the area, including a non-lethal attack near Camp Pendleton earlier this year and a deadly attack near Solana Beach several years ago, Giles said. In 2008, a swimmer was reportedly killed by a large white shark near Solana beach, according to reports reported at the time.
The attack shocked people aware of the waters off Beacon's Beach. Mike McInnis, who lives nearby, learned to surf at the age of 6.
"I just could not believe it was happening when I surfed," McInnis said. "I surf here almost every day."
A series of possible shark sightings has been reported off Oceanside, a town north of Encinitas, in late June, reported The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Earlier this month, a swimmer was killed during a shark attack off Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The September 15 attack that killed a 26-year-old man was the first deadly shark attack in that state since 1936 and the first deadly attack in the United States since 2015, officials said.
Encinitas is a coastal city of about 60,000 inhabitants north of San Diego.
Source link
