A woman was bitten by a shark on a New York beach and lost “about twenty pounds of flesh” in the attack, the first on that coast since 1953.
Tatyana Koltunyuk was attacked while swimming off Rockaway Beach, the New York Post reported.
It was just before 6 p.m. Monday when a shark bit a large part of his left leg, just above his knee, according to sources who witnessed the incident.
The tooth marks could indicate that the 65-year-old woman was attacked by a bull shark or a thresher shark. According to the New York daily, the possibility that she encountered a great white shark cannot be ruled out.
“It feels like a single bite, quite sharp, with some force. You can see the gap between the teeth,” Gavin Naylor, director of Florida’s Shark Research Program, told the media.
Ms Koltunyuk was rescued and taken back to shore where first aid was administered before paramedics arrived. As of Tuesday, she was still in critical but stable condition.
This attack by the animal is believed to be the first since 1953, although a surfer reported a possible shark bite on that beach in 2017. However, his injury was caused by something else, experts say.