Rockaway Beach shut down after horrific shark attack on NYC woman

Authorities said a woman was injured in a shark attack Monday off Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York City (NYC) — mostly owing to overcrowded beaches as thousands are flocking there to cool off amid super heatwaves, CNN reported Tuesday.

New York City Fire Department said in a statement that Emergency personnel responded to the incident at Rockaway Beach shortly before 6pm ET and found the woman had a serious leg injury, adding that "all indications appear to be a shark bite."

Later, parks officials closed down Rockaway Beach Park. 

“As a safety precaution, Rockaway Beach will be closed to swimming & surfing today, August 8, due to recent shark activity,” said NYC Parks on verified social media.

According to the fire department, the woman was taken to the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and was in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries Monday night.

This attack occurred a month after a number of shark attacks off the coast of nearby Long Island, which triggered shark patrols by local authorities.

The shark attacks took place within two days of one another, sparking alarm among New York beachgoers. CNN reported: "The spree of attacks also called to mind a similar series of non-fatal shark attacks last summer that triggered several New York beach closures."

Gavin Naylor, the director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, told CNN last month that swimmers “can take precautions to avoid attacks”.

"People should always swim in groups. They shouldn’t swim too far from the shore, and they should particularly avoid bait fish," Naylor said.

The risk of being attacked by a shark is relatively low, with only 57 confirmed, unprovoked attacks worldwide last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. Of those, 41 were in the United States, with eight non-fatal incidents in New York.