On July 4, three individuals were attacked by sharks off the coast of southern Texas in what the fire chief described as an unprecedented incident. On the same day, another victim was attacked by a shark in Florida, according to authorities.
On a barrier island close to Brownsville in Texas, three persons were attacked by a shark. The shark was eventually found and “pushed out to deeper water,” according to Fire Chief Jim Pigg.
“It’s unprecedented here on South Padre Island,” stated the governor. On Thursday, he claimed, two separate incidences involving shark bites occurred at various times and places.
“A severe shark bite to the leg” was reported around 11 a.m., and the victim was sent to a local hospital after police reacted to the 911 call, according to municipal spokesman Nikki Soto.
The first call, according to Pigg, had a bite wound and two minor injuries that did not require additional emergency treatment.
Two victims of shark bites were located by firefighters following a second 911 call reporting an attack, according to Pigg. There was a hospital visit for them as well.
A 46-year-old guy named Kyle Jud reported seeing a woman removed from the water with what looked like a bite wound to her leg.
Her calf was ripped to shreds, and the beach patrol had to help her up. “Horrific,” agreed Jud. He shared footage of a shark swimming beside a boat and helicopter conducting patrol.
The victim was transported by helicopter from a hospital in Brownsville to another location for more medical care, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
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“Encounters with sharks of this kind are infrequent in Texas,” the department stated. “When bites from sharks do occur, they are usually a case of mistaken identity by sharks looking for food.”
While an inquiry continues, Pigg stated that the kind of shark implicated has not been identified.
Beryl, the hurricane, is strengthening as it moves toward Mexico.
Lifeguards in the town of South Padre Island, which is located on the same-name barrier island and is home to around 2,000 people, were urging residents to remain on land or in water no deeper than knee-deep, according to Pigg.
There have been no other sightings since the shark was sent to deeper sea, but officials will remain cautious, according to Pigg.
“We hope for a speedy recovery and our hearts and prayers are with the injured and their families,” South Padre Island Mayor Patrick McNulty stated.
According to Tamra Malphurs, interim director of Volusia County Beach Safety, a shark attacked a 21-year-old male in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, at around 4 p.m. as he was playing football in knee-deep water.
According to Malphurs, the man’s injuries are not considered life-threatening, and he was taken to a hospital while visiting the city on the Atlantic coast from Ohio.
The most current yearly report from the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History stated that there were 36 instances of unprovoked shark attacks on humans in the United States last year, with two casualties.
Although the chance of being attacked by a shark is low, swimmers can reduce it even more by remaining in groups and sticking close to shore, according to the organization that records shark attacks worldwide.
