The coastguard rescued a woman off the UK coast after she was bitten by a shark. The snorkeler sustained a leg injury in the attack in Cornish waters on Thursday (July 28), reports Cornwall Live.
After the rescue, the HM Coastguard left the swimmer in the care of paramedics. Several species of sharks are spotted off Cornwall every year, including blue sharks, porbeagle sharks and basking sharks, although none of them are known to often attack humans.
A spokesperson for the coastguard said: "HM Coastguard sent Penzance Coastguard Rescue Team to meet a snorkeler who suffered a suspected shark bite. The coastguard was notified just before 12.30pm on Thursday (July 28). It is believed the swimmer suffered a leg injury. The coastguard team met the casualty at Penzance harbour to assist with passing them into the care of the ambulance service."
Shark attacks remain rare, especially in the UK, with blue sharks the most likely. The British Sea Fishing website reports: "Blue shark attacks on humans are extremely rare but have been recorded. In total, on a world-wide basis, there are four confirmed cases of fatal blue shark attacks on humans with twenty-five confirmed non-fatal attacks. In August 2012 a beach in Ceredigion, Wales, was closed to bathers due to the presence of a blue shark.
"The shark was spotted swimming in between boats and came very close to the shore, swimming past tourists in just a few feet of water. Later in the same month another beach in West Dorset had to be closed for an hour and a half due to another blue shark."
