Shark attack leaves man critically injured off Western Australia coast

A man wad attacked by a shark on Rottnest Island, off Perth's coast, ABC News in Australia reported Saturday.

Emergency officials said the victim, who was in his 30s, was taken by boat to shore, where paramedics were waiting to provide treatment before he was airlifted to a hospital by a rescue helicopter.

Western Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said it received a report of a possible shark bite in the morning and urged the public to exercise extra caution in the Geordie Bay area.

Authorities are coordinating with local agencies following reports of an approximately five-meter (16-foot) white shark sighted near Thomson Bay shortly after the incident.

Rottnest Island is a major tourist destination popular with swimmers, divers and holidaymakers.