Disasters & Incidents
Shark attack kills fifth person in Australia this year
A shark killed a male swimmer off Sorrento Beach near Perth in Western Australia on Friday, police said, in Australia's fifth fatal shark attack this year.
A Western Australia state police spokeswoman said the man had been bitten while swimming along the coast and died from the attack.
Police helicopters and boats searched waters off Sorrento Beach after emergency services were called in the morning, officials said. Authorities closed beaches in the area until further notice.
Surf Life Saving WA said an unidentified shark species was involved about 50 metres offshore. Local media reported that witnesses had seen blood in the water.
The attack followed another shark incident in Western Australia this week, when a man lost part of his leg at Glenfield Beach, north of Perth.
Other fatal shark attacks have been reported in Australia this year, including the death of a 12-year-old boy in Sydney Harbour in January and three divers killed in separate incidents between May and June. In June, a woman had part of her left arm amputated after being mauled at Coogee beach in Sydney.
A database of shark encounters with humans records around 1,300 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, of which more than 260 were fatal.
Update
The death was identified as Australia's fifth shark attack fatality this year.
A separate June shark attack at Coogee in Sydney left a woman needing part of her left arm amputated.
A database records around 1,300 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, more than 260 of them fatal.
Source note: AFP news report published on 18 September 2026 at 13:58:29 UTC.
Update
The attack happened off Sorrento Beach near Perth.
Police helicopters and boats searched waters after emergency services were called in the morning.
Authorities closed beaches in the area until further notice.
Surf Life Saving WA said an unidentified shark species was involved about 50 metres offshore.
Local media reported witnesses saw blood in the water.
The incident followed another shark attack in Western Australia earlier in the week in which a man lost part of his leg.
Source note: AFP news report published on 18 September 2026 at 07:41:17 UTC.
Update
The attack was reported off a popular beach near Perth in Western Australia.
Western Australia police said the victim was a male swimmer.
Police said the man was bitten while swimming along the coast.
The incident happened on Friday.
Source note: AFP news report published on 18 September 2026 at 07:23:26 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The shark species involved in the Sorrento Beach attack had not been identified.
Source
AFP news report published on .