Woman 'critical' after suspected shark attack in Sydney Harbour
The woman has suffered significant injuries to her lower body.
A woman has been left in a critical condition after what is feared to have been a shark attack in Sydney Harbour.
NSW Ambulance were called to Billyard Avenue in Elizabeth Bay near Sydney's CBD at 7.45pm on Monday after a woman believed to be in her late 20s was "attacked by an animal", a spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.
She is understood to have suffered significant injuries to her lower body and is in a critical but stable condition. She was taken by ambulance to St Vincents Hospital. The woman was bitten on her right leg and has lost a significant amount of blood.
A police spokesperson told Yahoo witnesses said the woman was swimming at the time.
Elizabeth Bay has become popular in recent years with an amateur swim group named ELBOWS who take to the harbour at Beare Park. There are no public shark nets at Elizabeth Bay, however City of Sydney council has been exploring the possibility of increasing netted locations along the harbour.
Reports on social media say police were yelling to members of the public to get out of the water, in what was described as a "chilling" moment. It is understood a passerby administered first aid to the woman prior to paramedics arriving.
The Department of Primary Industries will now investigate to determine if the woman was bitten by a shark.
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