Police in Western Australia closed Sorrento Beach after witnesses saw a swimmer dragged under by a shark about 50 metres from shore.
A swimmer has been killed in a shark attack at Sorrento Beach in Perth, a city on the western coast of Australia, police have confirmed.
Emergency services were alerted to what police described as a "shark-related incident" at about 10:15am local time on Friday. Officers said a wide search of the water was mounted using helicopters and boats, but they did not confirm whether a body had been recovered.
Members of the public reported sighting a shark measuring about 2.5 metres in the same area around the time of the attack.
What witnesses say they saw
People on the shore described a fast and violent attack that happened only about 50 metres from the beach.
One woman, who said she works as a nurse, told the Australian outlet WAtoday that she watched the man being "mauled" and that the shark "tossed him around like a fish". She said that although her job exposes her to difficult scenes, watching the attack was hard to process, and that she would not swim in that water again despite living nearby.
Another witness, Jacqui Rapaic, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the country's national public broadcaster, that she was walking on the beach with a friend when she looked out and saw "a pool of blood" in the ocean. She said she believed two people had been in the water and that only one of them returned to shore.
Beach closed to the public
Sorrento Beach remains shut, and authorities have urged people to stay away from the area while checks continue. Police have not released the identity of the swimmer.
Australia has recorded several deadly shark attacks over the past year. Among them was the death of a 12-year-old boy in Sydney in January.
Why this matters for Ghanaian readers
Australia is a growing destination for Ghanaians who travel for study, work and family visits, and beach swimming is a normal part of daily life in coastal cities such as Perth. Incidents like this one are rare, but they are the reason Australian authorities issue beach closures and shark sighting alerts, and why visitors are advised to swim only at patrolled beaches and to respect closure notices.
For Ghanaians in the United States following the story, the attack has drawn national coverage in Australia because it happened in daylight, close to shore, at a beach used by regular swimmers.
Police in Western Australia are expected to give further updates, including on the search and the identity of the victim.
Reported first by MyJoyOnline on 2026-09-18. This article was written for our readers based on that report. Follow the link for the original coverage.
