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(CNN) – A 23-year-old Briton died after being bitten by a sea snake aboard a fishing trawler off Australia.
The snake bit him while he was pulling a net, Northern Territory police told CNN. The incident occurred Thursday in the Gulf of Carpentaria, off the Northern Territory.
The CareFlight medical emergency service and other ships from the region rushed to bring medical supplies and assistance, the police added. The trawler is headed to the town of Borroloola, where the man was declared dead.
According to the Marine Education Society of Australasia (MESA), at least 32 species of sea snakes have been found in warmer waters off the Northern Territory and Queensland.
Most of the bites would occur on fishing trawlers, the workers filleting, as was the case last week, said MESA on its website.
However, he adds that bites are rarely fatal because it is not common for a lethal dose of venom to be administered.
Police said that the British Embassy had been informed of the death of the man. They will continue their investigation and an autopsy will take place.
A spokesman for the British High Commission said: "We are supporting the family of a deceased Briton in the Northern Territory and in contact with the Australian authorities."
Update: This story was updated to clarify that it was CareFlight that had come to the aid of the man.
