Several beaches closed after deadly shark attack

YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS

MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuters) -- Police closed several beaches in eastern Australia on Sunday after a 21-year-old woman was mauled to death by a shark in waist-deep water.

The woman, whose identity was not immediately released, died of severe injuries after the attack near North Stradbroke Island, east of the Queensland state capital Brisbane.

The woman was swimming with a group of friends from a church group in shallow water about 49 feet offshore when the shark attacked, local media reports said. The woman's dog had also been in the water.

Paramedics who arrived on the scene said the woman was barely alive when they reached her.

"She had lost significant amounts of blood," Queensland Ambulance paramedic Lachlan Parker told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Sunday.

"The patient had what we call altered level of consciousness where (we weren't) able to communicate directly with (her)," he said.

The woman was airlifted to a Brisbane hospital where she had to have both arms amputated just below the elbow, according to Queensland Rescue Helicopter spokeswoman Helen Anderson.

She also suffered deep wounds to her legs and torso, Anderson said.

It was not immediately clear what type of shark attacked the woman.

However, Australian shark expert Andrew Fox said the fact the woman was swimming with an animal and late in the afternoon could have contributed to the attack.

"It's known ... not to swim with animals -- I don't know how much that contributed in this particular case but it's a certainly one of the guidelines," Fox told Sky News.

Queensland state police spokeswoman Karmen Turner said police and local officials had decided to close several beaches on Sunday to avoid a possible repeat attack.

"Police will be patrolling the area advising residents and holidaymakers about the shark attack to ensure public safety. Water police will also be patrolling the area," she told the ABC.