Woman, 65, Killed by Shark Off South Africa's Eastern Cape; Two Beaches Shut
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A 65-year-old woman was killed in a shark attack on Tuesday off South Africa's southeastern coast, police and municipal authorities said. Officials responded by closing two beaches in the city of KuGompo, formerly East London, until further notice.
According to The Associated Press, officers were called to Orient Beach at about 7 a.m. and found the woman's body. Eastern Cape police spokesperson Col. Siphokazi Mawisa said an inquest has been opened into the death.
What happened at Orient Beach
Municipal spokesman Luzuko Buku said in a statement that the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality was deeply saddened to confirm a fatal shark attack on a swimmer at the beach that morning.
Fellow swimmer Mike Loewe told South Africa's state broadcaster SABC that members of an open-water swimming group responded to the woman's distress signal and brought her ashore. A medic in the group tried to save her, he said, but she was declared dead at the scene.
Loewe described the woman as a recently retired nuclear radiographer and a musician who preferred to swim alone. He called her courageous and said her death had devastated the local swimming community.
Beach closures and official warnings
The municipality closed Orient Beach and nearby Eastern Beach until further notice. According to the version of the AP report published by WRAL, the beaches will reopen only after safety assessments and expert advice.
Authorities also issued warnings for all other beaches in the area and urged visitors to follow safety advisories and instructions from officials. The municipality asked beachgoers to swim only in designated areas while lifeguards are on duty, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
How rare shark attacks are in South Africa
South Africa is known for its great white sharks and for shark tourism, but attacks remain rare, the AP reported. The Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File recorded 29 unprovoked bites in the country between 2012 and 2021, an average of about three a year. Six of those were fatal.
Municipal records show the city's last fatal shark attack was in 1997, according to the AP report carried by WRAL. The most recent reported attack in the city before Tuesday occurred in 2023.
What this means for swimmers and beachgoers
For people planning to visit the coast around KuGompo, Orient Beach and Eastern Beach are off limits for now, with no reopening date announced. Officials say other local beaches remain open but under warnings, and they are directing people to swim only where lifeguards are present and only during their hours of duty.
The woman was swimming on her own when the attack happened, though other members of an open-water group were nearby enough to answer her distress signal. Authorities have not publicly linked the attack to any specific cause.
What happens next
The inquest into the woman's death is under way. The two closed beaches will stay shut while safety assessments are carried out and experts are consulted, according to the municipality.
