A 40-year-old man has died after being attacked by a shark on the edge of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, local police said.
Luke Walford, a young pastor, was spearfishing with his family when he was bitten Saturday afternoon.
He suffered “life-threatening injuries” and, despite the efforts of paramedics, died at the scene about an hour later, authorities said.
He and his family were in the water at Humpy Island, in the Great Barrier Reef’s Keppel Bay Islands National Park, when the attack took place. The area is a popular spot for scuba diving and snorkelling.
Walford had been a school chaplain and pastor of the Cathedral of Praise church in Rockhampton, Queensland.
Donna Kirkland, her local MP, said she was in shock and that Walford was a friend to her and “countless others”.
“My prayers and deepest condolences go out to his beautiful family and to all those who will be devastated, like me, by this news,” she added.
A family friend told ABC News he saw the rescue helicopter flying over his house, not knowing it was for his friend.
“I always say a little shout out to anyone, but finding out it was Luke was a very sad day,” Doug Webber said.
Queensland Police said a report would be prepared for the coroner.
Australia’s last fatal shark attack took place in December 2023, when a teenager was killed in the south.
This year alone there have been four other shark incidents in Australia, according to a local database.
In general, Australia experiences more shark attacks than any other country except the United States.
