Australian authorities searched Wednesday for the remains of a 55-year-old surfer who was attacked by a shark that “had his body in its mouth,” according to a witness.
The victim’s body has not been found since the sea predator attacked him on Tuesday near Granites Beach, a popular surfing spot in South Australia state, police said.
“The man’s body has not yet been found and the search resumed this morning,” a police statement said.
Ian Brophy, a 70-year-old surfer who was at the scene at the time of the attack, described how, as he was about to enter the water, someone shouted “Shark!” according to local media.
“When I turned around I saw the shark pounce on the victim and bite,” he told Adelaide newspaper The Advertiser.
Mr Brophy said he saw the predator “walk over (the victim), bite him and drag him under the water, then nothing for a minute or two, blood everywhere and finally the board appeared.”
“I saw it in a wave and the shark had his body in its mouth – it was terrible.”
A few minutes later there was no trace of the surfer’s body. “The shark took everything from me, I think.”
Jeff Schmucker, a local resident, told Australian broadcaster ABC that he took his jet ski to help rescuers search for him.
He said he went into the attack area and quickly saw a great white shark “the length of a limousine” without being able to confirm it was the animal in question.
Great white sharks are known to occur along the coasts of South Australia.
In May, a teacher was killed about 120 kilometers from the scene of Tuesday’s attack.
According to Charlie Huveneers, a shark expert at Flinders University in South Australia, the number of shark bites has increased over the past four decades partly due to population growth and climate change.
Warming oceans are causing sharks to move closer to shore in search of prey, increasing the likelihood that they will come into contact with humans.