Shark attack fatal for Australia man

BRISBANE, Australia — A shark fatally mauled an Australian wildlife worker on the Great Barrier Reef, officials said Tuesday.

Queensland state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the 23-year-old victim worked for the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

“Once again, a family out there is grieving for a young man who tragically has lost his life in this horrific shark attack,” she told reporters.

Police said the man was in the water, returning to a vessel chartered by the service when he was attacked Monday near North West Island, 47 miles northeast of Gladstone. He suffered extensive injuries to his leg and arm and died at a hospital hours later.

Detective Senior Sgt. Tony Anderson said the ranger had been doing maintenance work before the attack. The victim was the last person out of the water.

“At the end of the day there were four people swimming off the back of a boat, cooling down after a day’s work,” he told reporters.

There have been at least three shark attacks on the Great Barrier Reef over the past 18 months.

In October, two British backpackers were attacked while snorkeling at Hook Island in the Whitsunday Islands. One of the men lost his foot.

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