'Hero' dived into river to try and save 16-year-old girl mauled to death by 'bull shark' in horrific attack
4 February 2023, 22:32 | Updated: 4 February 2023, 23:42
A man has been hailed as a 'hero' after risking his life by jumping into a river to try and save a 16-year-old girl who was being mauled by a shark.
The girl, who has not been named, is believed to have been jet skiing with friends when she caught sight of a pod of dolphins and dived into the Swan River in North Fremantle, Western Australia.
The teen was swimming with the creatures at around 3.30pm on Saturday when she was spotted and attacked by the shark, as her friends watched on in horror.
Witnesses told police that the heroic a man dived bravely into the water to pull her out, but paramedics were unable to save her and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
A local who saw the 16-year-old being mauled by what's believed to have been a bull shark, said she heard people screaming before the courageous man leapt in.
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Emergency services, including police boats, raced to the scene and she was pulled out of the water with severe leg injuries.
The teenager's friends and family and friends were seen in a state of shock after she was pulled out of the water.
Fremantle District Acting Inspector Paul Robinson said: "It's an extremely traumatic event for everyone involved and everyone who knew the young girl, so I won't be going into the extent of the injuries.
"It is unusual for a shark to be that far down the river … at this point in time an alert has been put out, a shark warning just to let people know this incident has taken place.
"What we've been advised issues with friends on the river, they were on Jet Skis, there was possibly a pod of dolphins been seen nearby, and the young female jumped in the water to swim nearby the dolphins."
Police didn't go into details about her injuries and did not confirm what species of shark was involved in the attack.
The incident is the first fatal shark attack in the Swan River in a hundred years.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development confirmed on Saturday afternoon confirmed that they were currently investigating a report of a "possible shark bite" incident.
A spokesperson for the department said: "DPIRD is working with local authorities and further information will be provided as it becomes available."
