Shark Kills Diver in Australia
April 30, 2002
The Associated Press

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) - A shark dragged a scallop diver from his friend's arms and killed him Tuesday in an area off Australia's southern coast known as a hunting ground for the great white shark, officials said.

The 23-year-old victim was diving from a boat anchored off the fishing port of Smoky Bay, about 310 miles northwest of the South Australia state capital Adelaide, South Australia Ambulance spokesman Lee Francis said.

The friend tried to pull the victim onto the boat but the shark pulled the man back into the water, Francis said.

``I understand he (the victim) came to the surface. There was a cry for help,'' Francis said. ``But as the other person tried to get him on board, the shark grabbed him and pulled him underneath.''

The victim's name was not released.

It was the fifth fatal shark attack in South Australian waters in the past four years.

Last week, the remains of a fisherman who disappeared south of Sydney were discovered inside a 10-foot tiger shark caught off Australia's eastern coast.


04/30/02 10:05 EDT