A woman has likely lost part of her leg after she was attacked by a shark at a popular swimming spot in Sydney Harbor.
Several ambulance units, including a helicopter, rushed to Billyard Ave in Elizabeth Bay about 7.45pm on Monday after a woman in her 30s was pulled from the water.
A NSW Ambulance spokesperson told NCA Newswire that the woman suffered “serious injuries” to her right leg after she was attacked.
She was pulled from the water after the attack, suffering serious bleeding and losing a lot of blood from the injury.
It’s understood that a vet passing by the area helped the woman, applying a tourniquet to her leg to stop the bleeding before paramedics arrived.
Paramedics assessed and treated her at the scene before taking her to St. Vincents Hospital in a serious condition.
Locals who witnessed the incident posted a video of the aftermath on social media.
The woman can be seen on a stretcher being transported from the jetty to an ambulance.
“Oh my god, you can see her blood,” one witness is heard saying.
City of Sydney Councillor Linda Scott said she was “extremely concerned” to hear about the attack.
“Please, stay out of the harbor until further notice,” she said on social media.
“Thank you to the bystanders who stood in to bravely help, and to St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney for their care for the victim.”
Early reports indicate she was likely attacked by a bull shark.
NSW Police said officers attached to Kings Cross Police Area Command assisted the paramedics at the scene.
“Police have been told she was swimming off the wharf at the time. Marine Area Command are patrolling the area as a precaution,” a spokesperson said.
The last fatal shark attack in Sydney was British expat Simon Nellist in 2022.
Nellist, a 35-year-old diving instructor, was killed by a shark while swimming at nearby Little Bay near Malabar in February 2022.
The last fatal attack in Sydney Harbor was in 1963, when actress Marcia Hathaway was attacked while wading in Sugarloaf Bay near Middle Harbor.
One of the most famous attacks in the Harbor, occurred in 2010 when Navy diver Paul de Gelder was attacked by a 3 meter (9.8 feet) bull shark during a routine anti-terrorism training exercise off Garden Island in 2010.
He survived, but his hand was severed in the near-fatal mauling and doctors were later forced to amputate his right leg above the knee