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Shark Attacks Swimmer In Outer Banks, Fifth Incident In Recent Weeks

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 01:13 PST, Jun 27, 2015

The fifth shark attack in two weeks has taken place off the North Carolina coast, after a beachgoer was bitten while swimming in the Outer Banks, just moments after helping a group of children ashore.

The attack took place roughly a half mile south of Avon Pier on Hatteras Island, My Fox 8 reports. A 47-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was in the water with three children and another adult when he reportedly spotted the shark. Yelling to warn others of the animal’s presence, the man was able to help them out of the water before the shark struck him.

According to the Guardian, the unidentified man was bitten multiple times by the shark. The species responsible has yet to be identified, but several news outlets related that the victim was bitten in the back by the shark while he was in the surf.

Following the shark attack, the victim was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he requested that no information (including his name and current condition) be released to the media. Meanwhile, red flags were raised at Avon pier in order to warn beachgoers of the shark’s presence, and to alert them to avoid the water.

The incident marks just the latest shark attack to transpire off the North Carolina coast in recent weeks. Earlier this month, a 12-year-old girl and a 16-year-old-boy were struck by sharks along the same stretch of beach, each losing an arm in the respective attacks. As the Inquisitr previously reported, the attacks were notable for their severity, yet the shark that was responsible has not been identified.

Several other shark incidents have taken place in the region, though they have resulted in only superficial injuries. Earlier this week, an 8-year-old boy was bitten by a small shark, roughly 60 miles from the site of the earlier attacks. Though emergency workers were summoned to the beach, the boy’s injuries proved to be minor.

Shark interactions are far from uncommon along the East Coast in summer months. Most of the bites that are reported, however, often prove to be the work of small sharks. The recent shark attacks in North Carolina may have caused an increase in media attention, but they are in many ways a normal part of summer at the ocean.

[Photo by Ian Waldie / Getty Images]

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