Shark Attacks In The US: Number Rises To Six In Two Weeks After Latest Attack In The Outer Banks

Six shark attacks have been recorded in the last two weeks in the United States, after a teenager was attacked off the North Carolina coast Saturday. The boy suffered severe injuries to his right calf, buttocks and both hands in the attack, which occurred while he was swimming in the Outer Banks.

The teenager was treated on the spot and was taken to a hospital in Virginia for further care. Ocean Rescue Squad paramedics and National Park Service rangers rushed to the scene after they received a 911 call regarding the attack, CNN reported. Carol Flynn, a spokeswoman at the Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where the boy was taken, said that he was in a critical condition when he was brought in, but his condition was improving, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The victim's age was cited by the NPS as 18 while Flynn put his age at 17.

The latest attack followed another one Friday where a 47-year-old man was injured a mile north of a fishing pier in Avon, North Carolina. The man, who was reportedly playing with his children, was bit on the back of his leg, AP reported. No other swimmers were injured in the attack.

“This guy was in waist-deep water about 10 feet away from where my friend and I were walking on the beach when we heard him screaming 'Shark! Shark!'" Johnny Supan, a witness to Friday's shark attack, said, according to ABC News, adding: “Right away there was a guy that had a water bottle cleaning his wounds and his wife was trying to put pressure on them.

“He was dizzy and in shock when he came out of the water,” Supan said, adding: “I think we were all in shock.”

Also on Friday, the Lady’s Island St. Helena Fire District in Beaufort, South Carolina, announced that another shark attack took place at Hunting Island State Park, according to CNN. The male victim of the attack was reportedly taken to hospital for treatment.

Last Wednesday, an 8-year-old boy was bit by a shark while he was swimming in knee-deep water in Surf City, North Carolina. Two weeks ago, a 13-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy were attacked off North Carolina’s Oak Island, within a period of 90 minutes.