Shark kills woman swimming off South Africa's Eastern Cape

A 65-year-old woman was killed by a shark at a popular beach off ‌the coast of South Africa's Eastern Cape province on Tuesday, local authorities said.

"A fatal shark attack occurred at the Orient Beach this morning, resulting in a ‌tragic loss of a swimmer," a spokesperson for the local municipality told ‌Reuters. The woman was swimming with a group when she indicated she was in trouble, a witness told public broadcaster SABC.

"We all realised she'd been bitten by a shark, ⁠and ​she was in a ⁠very bad way," the witness said. "The bites were very severe, but there were only two, ⁠one on her thigh and one on her upper arm." He said the woman ​was brought back to shore, where she was declared dead on the ⁠beach.

Eastern Cape police said officers who attended the scene found her body with open wounds ⁠and ​opened an inquest. The species of shark involved was not immediately known.

Buffalo City municipality has closed Orient Beach and nearby Eastern Beach until ⁠further notice and urged people to exercise caution. South Africa's coast has many shark ⁠species, but ⁠it is popularly known for great white sharks, which draw tourists worldwide for cage diving and shark-watching trips.