A 17-year-old girl from Bribie Island, Queensland, Australia, died on Monday, 3rd February, after a shark attack.
Charlize Zmuda, a member of the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club, was swimming about 100 metres off Woorim Beach, an unpatrolled area popular with off-road enthusiasts and campers, when she was bitten on the arm, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
Nine News reported that Ms Zmuda was helped to shore, where Queensland Ambulance Service crews met her at approximately 4:45 p.m. local time. Paramedics and witnesses attempted to save her life, but the wounds to her upper body were too severe, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Local outlets report that the Queensland Police Department will prepare a report for the coroner.
The Sydney Morning Herald also reported that drumlines, used to attract and catch sharks to reduce the risk of attacks, are present in the area. It remains unclear whether the drumlines were baited at the time of the attack.
Fox News Digital’s request for comment from the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club regarding Ms Zmuda and the types of sharks common to the area went unanswered.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli described the attack as “devastating.”
“What happened on Woorim Beach at Bribie Island late yesterday is devastating,” Crisafulli said in a post on X. “For someone so young to lose their life in a shark attack is an unimaginable tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and Bribie community. Thank you to our first responders who were on the scene.”
