Shark mauls and kills bodyboarder, 59, before brave couple manage to drag man's body onto the beach
A father-of-three was fatally mauled by a shark at Cable Beach in Broome on Sunday, November 22 while bodyboarding 30 to 40 meters offshore at a tourist hotspot in Australia. This has been the eighth shark-related death in the country this year so far. A couple spotted some thrashing in the water and rushed to try and help the man who was being attacked by a 12ft predator
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the incident took place at Cable Beach in Broome in Western Australia and the victim, Charles Cernobori, 59, was pulled out of the water around 8.45 am by the couple. The couple bravely entered the water and managed to drag the severely injured victim back onto the beach after which they called emergency services.
Police officers even carried out CPR on the victim but he could not be saved. The authorities are on the lookout for the shark after police fired several shots at the shark, which remained offshore in murky water for about 30 minutes. According to local media, the man had been bitten on the upper thigh and hand. Post the attack, park rangers immediately closed the beach and a fishing vessel was assigned to patrol the local area. The last fatal shark attack in the area occurred 27 years ago.
The Kimberley District Office Police Inspector Gene Pears praised the brave couple who had swam out to rescue the man. Pears said, "[They] retrieved the injured man from the water and dragged him to the beach and called police and an ambulance."
"I commend them for their actions. Obviously that would have been pretty horrific for those people and [it was] very brave to enter the water and do what they did," he added. He shared how the shark attack had left the community shocked. "It's a tragic incident, very unexpected, a person going out to have a bit of fun in the water," Pears revealed.
"It's tragic for the family, friends and people of Broome. We've had a hard year, with some incidents up here. At the same time, this is when communities like Broome shine. We'll pull together ... and try and recover from what is a very sad day," Pears continued. Pears shared that there had been crocodiles and irukandji (jellyfish) in the water and a shark attack was very unexpected. He also revealed that the water was very murky and the type of shark which caused the attack has not yet been confirmed.
Broome, a resort town about 1,000 miles north or Perth, is a popular fishing destination and several types of sharks have been spotted in area waters. Shark warnings have been issued across Australia this year with two mass closures of beaches as there have been many great white sharks circling the coastlines.
The recent attack follows that of surfer Andrew Sharps who disappeared on October 9 off the WA coast. Authorities believe he was taken by a shark after reports of a sighting at Wylie Beach in Esperance.