June 17 (UPI) — An 8-year-old boy was attacked by a shark while swimming off the coast of North Carolina, officials said.
The boy was swimming in the water off of Bald Head Island when he was bitten in the leg by a shark, Bald Head Island Village Manager Chris McCall said in a statement.
The size and type of the shark are unknown, but the injury was assessed to have been caused by a shark “given the type of wounds sustained,” he said.
Brunswick County EMS responded to the emergency call at about 4 p.m., WECT 6 reported.
The child received treatment from local public safety officers before being taken via ferry to the hospital.
He received treatment for several puncture wounds that were considered non-life-threatening.
This is the third shark attack in waters off North Carolina this month.
On June 2, Paige Winter, 17, was attacked by a shark at Fort Macon State Park, sustaining injuries that required one of her legs to be amputated.
Then on June 11, Austin Reed, 19, was attacked while surfing off the coast of Ocean Isle Beach, sustaining injuries to his right foot.
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, there were only three unprovoked shark attacks off North Carolina in 2018. Florida had the most reported shark attacks last year in the United States with 16.
