A great white shark mauled a swimmer on the southeast coast of Sydney not far from a crowded beach, according to a shocking video, posted on Wednesday.
The marine predator attacked the man at Buchan Point in Malabar about 4:30 pm local time. One of the witnesses said that he saw the shark tearing the swimmer in two and “swallowing parts of his body.” Another witness said that the attack lasted only a few seconds.
“Someone just got eaten by a shark!” a man can be heard in the video. “That’s insane.”
Other bystanders said that the shark attacked “vertically.”
“We heard a yell and turned around it looked like a car had landed in the water, a big splash, then the shark was chomping at the body and there was blood everywhere,” one of the witnesses told 9 News. “It was really bad.”
Helicopters and rescuers on jet skis were sent to search for the swimmer, and dozens of beachgoers were instructed to get out of the water.
“Footage clearly shows a body, half a body, being taken by a shark,” said a police officer, adding that first responders “found some remains.”
New South Wales police confirmed the death of the swimmer, whose identity hasn’t been revealed. It was assumed that the victim was a local resident who knew the beach well and often swam in local bays. All beaches in the Randwick area will be closed for the next 24 hours and warning signs will be placed, according to the Daily Mail.