A shark attack has shocked the inhabitants and visitors of the iconic Rockaway beach in New York. Tatyana Toltunyuk, a 65-year-old woman, had a terrifying experience when a shark tore off a piece of meat above her knee while she was swimming in the sea.
The incident took place on Monday at this popular city beach, marking the first shark attack in the area in the last 70 years.
The dramatic situation prompted first responders to take swift and courageous action, applying a tourniquet to the leg of the victim, Tatyana Toltunyuk. They managed to stop her bleeding and thus saving her limb. The woman was rescued from the water and attended to by lifeguards before being taken to a nearby hospital. Her condition is serious, but she is stable at the moment.
This shocking incident has had immediate consequences on Rockaway Beach. The authorities have decided to close access to the beach and have temporarily prohibited swimming and surfing in the area, and will also patrol the beach to force all bathers to stay out of the water, while aerial surveillance is carried out in Search for the sharks.
The city's Department of Parks and Recreational Activities communicated this measure through its Twitter account, demonstrating its commitment to the safety of bathers.
This shark attack has raised concerns among New York City residents and visitors. Although shark sightings had increased in recent months, this incident marks the first recorded bite on this beach since 1953. To prevent future attacks, the authorities had implemented surveillance patrols using drones in the nearby waters as a preventative measure.
Despite the rarity of shark attacks in this area, concern for the safety of bathers has led to a temporary closure of the beach. "While we realize this is a horrifying event, we want to remind New Yorkers that a shark attack is extremely rare in Rockaway," a police spokesperson said.
The incident highlights the increasing interaction between humans and sharks in coastal waters, as more people live near the oceans and recreational activities at sea become more popular. Despite their rarity, shark attacks have increased in recent years, with 57 cases reported in the United States last year, according to the International Shark Attack File.
In fact, over the July 4th long weekend, three swimmers and a surfer reported shark attacks, all of which were minor.
