A 40-year-old man has died after being attacked by a shark at the edge of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, local police said.
Luke Walford, a youth 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 on Humpi Island, in Keppel Bay Islands National Park on the Great Barrier Reef, when the attack happened. The area is popular for diving and snorkelling.
Walford was a school chaplain and pastor at Cathedral Church of Praise in Rockhampton, Queensland.
Donna Kirkland, his local MP, said she was in shock and that Walford was friends with her and “countless others”.
“My prayers and heartfelt condolences go out to his beautiful family and indeed to the many who will be devastated, as I am, by this news,” she added.
A family friend told ABC News he watched the rescue helicopter fly over his house, not knowing it was for his friend.
“I always say a little tribute to anybody, but to find out it was Luke, it was a very sad day,” Doug Webber said.
Queensland Police said a coroner's report would be prepared.
The last fatal shark attack in Australia occurred in December 2023 when a teenager was killed in the south.
There have been four other shark incidents in Australia this year alone, according to a local database.
Overall, Australia sees more shark attacks than any other country except the US.