Man killed by shark at Great Barrier Reef in second deadly Australian attack this month

A 39-year-old man has died following a shark attack at Australia's Great Barrier Reef on Sunday, marking the second fatal incident of its kind in the country this month.

Police said the man was bitten near Kennedy Shoal, a shallow reef 45km off Queensland.

Rushed to shore, he died shortly after being met by an ambulance, a Queensland Police Service spokesperson said, without identifying him.

This tragedy follows the death of a 38-year-old Steven Mattaboni who was attacked off an island near Perth, Western Australia, on 16 May.

Mattaboni was bitten by a 4m (13ft) long white shark at about 9.54am local time on Saturday at the reef, north of Marjorie Bay on the western end of a popular holiday island.

He was on the water surface about 80m from the shore and 20m from his boat when he was bitten on his legs, Police sergeant Michael Wear told ABC News.

Mattaboni visited Rottnest with three of his friends from Perth's northern suburbs to go spearfishing, according to local news reports.

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Paramedics and police performed CPR on the man after he was brought ashore.

“Sadly, the man was unable to be revived,” police said in a statement, urging the public to take “additional caution” in waters around the area.

WA police minister Reece Whitby paid tribute to the man’s family and thanked those who tried to save him.

"My heart and thoughts go out to the man's family, friends and loved ones,” Mr Whitby said.

"I want to acknowledge the diver's friends who played a critical role in doing the best they could to bring [him] back to shore," he said, according to ABC News.

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Dozens of beaches along Australia's east coast, including Sydney, were closed in January after four attacks in two days. Heavy rains created murky water, attracting sharks and reducing their visibility.

On average, about 20 shark attacks are reported in Australia annually, of which less than three are fatal, according to previous research by conservationists.

So far, more than 1,300 shark incidents have been recorded in Australia since 1791, of which more than 350 were fatal, and 24 have occurred since 2020, according to the Toronga Conservation Society.

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