Woman Dies from Fatal Shark Attack in Plettenberg Bay; Nearby Beaches Closed

A fatal shark attack targeting a woman occurred on the waters off the coastal town of Plettenberg Bay in Western Cape, South Africa.

Kim Bisogno was with her family at a South African resort when an unidentified shark dragged her out into the sea from shallow waters, with local sources saying was only "waist-high water" from the beach shore.

Onlookers reportedly said the sea around Bisogno "turned red" as beachgoers started screaming.

Rescuers found her body floating approximately 50 years from where she was attacked, which was only 50 meters which has a depth of two meters.

The proximity of the shark attack to the shore raised existing shark threats that the marine animals are getting closer into the shore.

The Bitou Municipality temporarily closed Plettenberg Bay beaches following the incident, which is the second fatal shark attack at the popular southern resort in a span of three months.

The previous incident involved a great white shark which shred a male swimmer into pieces off Sanctuary Beach in Plettenberg Bay.

Plettenberg Bay Shark Attack

(Photo : JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

The 39-year-old woman was killed on the waters off Central Beach in the early hours of Sunday, September 26.

This comes after several months of increased shark presence and increased shark alerts reported by local authorities in Plettenberg Bay and the Southern Cape coastline, as cited by Independent Online or IOL, a news website based in South Africa.

Paramedics who responded to the incident declared the victim from Cape Town as "dead on arrival" after being recovered from the water. As a result, the police opened a probe into the incident to determine the possible cause of death, which is likely due to wounds sustained from the shark bites or drowning, according to Craig Lambinon, spokesperson for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).

The shark attack took place at around 7:40 a.m. on Sunday while the tourist woman was attempting to swim from Beacon Ilse Hotel Beach to Central Beach, which is 100 meters away.

Her husband and child were walking on the shore while observing her swimming attempt, according to preliminary investigation stated by Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie, as cited by The Telegraph.

Bitou Municipality's executive mayor David Swart sent his condolences to the family of the deceased and warned the public to be cautions when engaging in beach activities in the water, mainly due to the strong rip currents and increased shark activity.

Shark presence in the region still persisted in spite of previous reports of the presence of orcas or killer whales off the coast of Cape Town.

This is based on growing evidence that orcas are capable of hunting and killing sharks by hitting their vulnerable belly area to stun them and eat their livers afterward.

Also Read: Shark Attack in the Florida Keys Leaves 10-Year-Old Boy to Lose a Part of His Leg

South Africa Shark Attacks

There are a total of 259 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks across South Africa since 1905, according to the International Shark Attack File of the Florida Museum as of Tuesday, September 27.

In particular, 109 attacks were recorded in the Eastern Cape, 90 in KwaZulu-Natal, 58 in Western Cape, one in East London province, and another in an unspecified location.