A 12-year-old Kiwi girl and an adult Australian woman are fighting for their lives after separate shark attacks in a popular Queensland holiday spot.
The girl and 46-year-old mother Justine Barwick were both attacked on the Whitsunday Islands less than 24 hours apart.
7News reporter Bianca Stone told The AM Show the girl is a New Zealander and was on holiday in Australia with her father and sister when the shark attacked on Thursday afternoon.
She was bitten on the upper thigh and the shark severed her femoral artery, leading to massive blood loss. Paramedics in the helicopter gave her 1.5 litres of blood on the way to Mackay Hospital.
The girl went into emergency surgery overnight with her father by her side, but is still listed as in a critical condition. If her condition stabilises she will be transferred to Brisbane Hospital for more treatment.
Queensland Ambulance posted on Twitter the girl was bitten in waters near Cid Harbour and was later transported to Hospital by helicopter.
Authorities said she had been swimming with her father and sister at the time of the attack.
Shark expert Riley Elliot told The AM Show it would not have taken much from the shark to endanger the girl's life.
"The sad thing with shark bites is that they're not followed through often by sharks," he said.
"The sharks realise they've made a mistake, but unfortunately because of how evolved they are teethwise massive blood loss often occurs."
He said any kind of shark could be behind the attack, but based on the area and reports from local fisherman it was likely a tiger shark.
Justine Barwick, a 46-year-old tourist from Tasmania, was also attacked by a shark when she was swimming near a yacht on Wednesday.
She was treated by a doctor on a nearby boat before being transported to hospital and undergoing surgery. She remains in a critical condition.
Newshub.
