Australia: Man dies after shark attack off holiday island

A 38-year-old man has been killed in a shark attack at Rottnest Island, a popular holiday destination off Perth, Western Australia.

Australia has seen a recent rise in shark attacks that scientists believe could be caused by a change in the animals' migratory patterns amid increasingly crowded waters and warming oceans.

Australia’s "Bite-Club" – Life after a shark attack

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What do we know about the shark attack?

Officials have said the attack occurred around 10:00 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Saturday in the water at the island's Horseshoe Reef.

Police said the man was carried to the shore and was treated at the scene by paramedics from the St John ambulance service but could not be revived.

Surf Life Saving WA said a 5-meter (16-foot) white shark was spotted 80 meters offshore around the time of the attack.

A shark attack in Sydney Harbour in January claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy.

That attack was one of four within two days, which prompted authorities to close many of the city's beaches as a precaution.

There have been nearly 1,300 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, of which more than 260 were fatal, according to a database that records such incidents.

Edited by: Karl Sexton