Australian teenager dies in devastating shark attack, nearly 100 yards from popular beach: report
2025-02-04
Category: world

A 17-year-old girl from Bribie Island, just north of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, died Monday after being bitten by a shark nearly 100 meters offshore, according to reports. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Charlize Zmuda, a member of the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club, was bitten on her arm by a shark while swimming about 100 meters off the beach. She was reportedly helped in, Nine News reported, where crews from the Queensland Ambulance Service eventually met her. The stretch of beach where Zmuda was injured, Woorim Beach, is an unpatrolled stretch of sand, and crews met her there at about 4:45 p.m. local time. The area is popular with off-road enthusiasts and campers. SHARKS: 12 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE MARINE FISH&nbsp;  While paramedics and witnesses tried to save her life, the wounds to her upper body were reportedly so significant that she was pronounced dead at the scene. The Queensland Police Department will prepare a report for the coroner, according to the local outlets. The publication reported that drumlines are used in the area where the reported attack took place, to attract and catch sharks in an effort to reduce the risk of shark attacks. SWIMMING IN A SHARK'S HOME: TIPS FROM AN EXPERT FOR AVOIDING AND SURVIVING AN ATTACK  It was not immediately clear if the drumlines were baited when Zmuda was attacked. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Bribie Island Surf Life Saving Club for more information about Zmuda as well as the types of sharks that typically come through the waters, though the club did not respond. Still, the Premier of Queensland, David Crisafulli, called the attack "devastating." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "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."