By Paulina Duran
SYDNEY (Reuters) – A woman in New Zealand died on Thursday following a suspected shark attack in the country’s northern island, police said in a statement.
She was pulled from the waters at Waihi Beach, located about a two-hour drive south-east of Auckland, with wounds on at least one leg, local media reported. Emergency services were called to the beach but the woman died at the scene a short time later, police officials said.
Shark attacks are rare in New Zealand, where water sports and beach holidays are popular during the current summer season. More than 60 shark species are known to swim in the country’s waters.
The last shark attack in New Zealand was in 2018 at Baylys Beach, north west of Auckland, although it was not fatal, according to the New Zealand police website.
The last fatal shark attack in the country was in 2013, the Shark Attack Data website shows.
The police could not confirm the woman died from a shark attack and have referred the case to the coroner, a police spokeswoman said.
(Reporting by Paulina Duran in Sydney; Editing by Neil Fullick)
