Man killed in shark attack off northeastern Australia

A man has died after he was attacked by a shark while spearfishing off the coast of Queensland, Australia, according to officials.

Emergency services were called just after 12 p.m. on Sunday to the Hull River boat ramp near Hull Heads, a coastal area in Far North Queensland about 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Cairns, after receiving reports of a shark attack, according to ABC News Australia, citing police.

Queensland Police said the 39-year-old man was attacked at Kennedy Shoal, a reef site, before being pulled from the water and taken back to shore. He was declared dead at the boat ramp at about 1 p.m.

Police believe the man had been spearfishing from a private vessel when he was attacked. Officials did not immediately know how far offshore the boat was at the time.

Another person who was in the water with the victim pulled him out after witnessing the attack, police said. All four people who were on the private vessel, including the victim, returned to shore.

Police said the man is believed to have died from a critical head injury. The species involved in the attack was not immediately known.

Sunday’s attack is the second fatal shark attack in Australia so far this year. The previous fatal attack happened in March off Rottnest Island in Western Australia.