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Two great sharks were killed in Australia after a woman and a girl were attacked at a tourist site in the Great Barrier Reef.
The two victims – one just 12 years old – were still in the hospital Sunday after being attacked in separate incidents earlier this week in the Whitsunday Islands.
According to a spokesman for Fisheries Queensland, drumming lines, which use baited hooks to catch predators, have captured two tiger sharks, a 3.3-meter (11-foot) long.
"While sharks of this size are potentially very dangerous to humans, we do not know if they were responsible for injuries caused to two swimmers this week," he said.
"The shark carcasses will be towed at sea for disposal."
The spokesman added that the rules would remain in place next week to reduce the risks for swimmers.
Shark attacks are very rare in the Whitsundays – a collection of spectacular tropical islands in the heart of the reef, according to the national television channel ABC.
This week 's incidents revived the debate on how best to reduce the risk of encounters between sharks and the increasing number of people using the ocean for their hobbies.
Many environmental advocates and scientists in the sea object to killing sharks and insist that drum ropes are a blunt instrument because they often catch other creatures.
New South Wales, the nation's most populous state, has been testing non-lethal measures such as aerial drones to track shark movements and "smart" drum lines that alert the authorities of their presence.
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