Two teenagers, one woman seriously injured after shark attack Friday in Florida

By Reba Gist, WVUA 23 reporter

Shark attacks off beaches in the Florida Panhandle led authorities to temporarily close several beaches to swimmers Friday in Walton County.

A woman was airlifted to a trauma center Friday afternoon after being seriously injured in the shark attack near WaterSound Beach. She suffered serious injuries to her stomach as well as her arm that had to be partially amputated, South Walton Fire Chief Ryan Crawford said during a press briefing.

According to the sheriff's office, less than two hours later, firefighters responded to another beach east of the first attack after multiple reports of a teenager injured by a shark. A teenage girl was airlifted to the trauma center after serious injuries to her upper leg and hand, firefighters said. The other teenager was slightly injured in one foot. The two girls were playing waist-deep with a group of friends when the attack happened, the South Walton Fire District said. Both teens are from Mountain Brook, Alabama.

The beaches were reopened on Saturday.

In an effort to warn beach swimmers, red and purple flags were used Saturday to warn swimmers of possible dangers. “Purple flags indicate the presence of dangerous marine life and single red flags indicate high-risk conditions,” the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post Saturday. Authorities also use patrol boats to warn swimmers of the presence of sharks along Florida's Gulf Coast.

“We want to reiterate that sharks are still present in the Gulf,” the sheriff’s office said in a social media post Saturday. “Swimmers and beachgoers should use caution when swimming and remain aware of their surroundings.”

A contributing factor to the attacks could be the movement of small, schooling fish near the shore, the Bay County Sheriff's Office said.

Also Friday in Hawaii, a woman was seriously injured in a shark attack off the island of Oahu, officials said.

According to experts, shark attacks are rare. Last year, there were 69 unprovoked bites worldwide, 10 of which were fatal, according to the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida. This is more than the recent average of six deaths per year.