A man has been airlifted to hospital after being bitten in a suspected shark attack in Australia's Byron Bay.
Police said in a statement that emergency services were called to Byron Bay around 6:40 am local time, after reports that a man surfing near Belongil Beach was bitten on the leg by a shark.
As a result of the incident, Belongil Beach and Main Beach have been closed for 24 hours.
Photos taken after the incident show a chunk bitten out of the tail of the man's surfboard.
A 41-year-old Bryon Bay man has been bitten by a shark while surfing at Belongil Beach this morning. #9News @9NewsAUS @9NewsSyd @9NewsQueensland @9NewsGoldCoast pic.twitter.com/hHLNfrA1uI
— Maggie Raworth (@MaggieRaworth) February 16, 2019
A housemate of the victim told ABC News: "We didn't realise until we were on the beach that there was a big chunk taken out of his leg so there was a lot of blood."
There were 27 shark attacks in Australian waters last year, one of which was fatal, according to Sydney's Taronga Zoo.
The attack has prompted surf life saving crews to patrol beaches around Byron Bay, sweeping areas on jetski notifying the public of the risk of swimming.
Shark Attack #ByronBay @abcnews #Beach closed #Belongil pic.twitter.com/juFOQDUE2B
— Robbie from SthGoldy (@RobbieSthGoldy) February 16, 2019
