A 35-year-old woman has been seriously injured in a shark attack off the coast of the Australian city of Sydney. That happened at the popular Coogee Beach. The beach and neighboring beaches such as Bondi, Bronte, Clovelly and Tamarama Beach are by the authorities(opens in new window) closed for the next 24 hours.

Emergency services were called in at around 11 a.m. local time on Saturday morning after the woman was attacked by a large shark about 30 meters off shore. The victim suffered serious injuries to her arm and leg and is still in a life-threatening condition.

Nicola Logan witnessed the attack. She told Reuters she saw a “huge pool of blood” in the water before a rescue swimmer brought the victim to shore on a rescue board, helped by others present. According to the rescue brigade, the man in his thirties was taken to hospital by helicopter “semi-conscious and breathing”.

A reporter from Australian broadcaster ABC News was walking with her child on Coogee Beach. She said it was a beautiful, clear winter day. “Many people were swimming when we suddenly heard a terrifying scream on the beach,” the journalist said. Then a shark alarm sounded.

There have been several fatal shark attacks in Australia recently. In January, dozens of beaches along the country’s east coast were closed, including beaches in Sydney, after four shark attacks in two days. A 12-year-old boy died days after being attacked by a bull shark.

The attacks followed heavy rainfall, which made the water cloudy. This attracts sharks, because cloudy water makes it easier for sharks to attack their prey unnoticed.

Another factor is that during heavy rainfall, excess sewage is discharged into the harbour, an associate professor at the University of Sydney told at the time ABC(opens in new window). Bait fish are attracted to the feces, which in turn attracts sharks that prey on the fish.

Most shark attacks in Australia occur along the country’s eastern and southeastern coasts. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, there are on average about twenty shark incidents per year. Since 2000, an average of two to three people have been killed each year by shark attacks in Australia.

This year the number of fatalities is already significantly higher. Last Saturday, a 4.5-metre white shark killed a 35-year-old man while he was spearfishing with his family off Michaelmas Island, near the port city of Albany in Western Australia state.

And last month, two spearfish divers were killed in other shark attacks in the country. One man was fishing with his friends at the Great Barrier Reef when he was attacked by a bull shark, while the other victim was spearfishing off the coast of Perth.

Three shark species found in Australia are particularly dangerous to humans: the tiger shark, the bull shark and the great white shark, collectively known as the Big Three.