3 swimmers attacked by sharks off Florida Panhandle

Three swimmers, including two teenagers, were attacked by sharks in two separate incidents on beaches in Walton County, Florida, on Friday, authorities said.

A 45-year-old woman was swimming with her husband past a sandbar at Watersound Beach when she was bitten by a shark around 1:20 p.m., South Walton Fire District Chief Ryan Crawford told reporters.

The unidentified woman suffered “significant injuries” to the midsection of her body, and part of her left arm had to be amputated, Crawford said. She was taken to HCA Fort Walton-Destin Hospital in critical condition.

About 90 minutes later, a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl with a group of friends were injured by a shark in waist-deep water near the first sandbar near Seacrest Beach, just four miles from Watersound Beach, according to Crawford.

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One victim was bitten by a shark and suffered “significant injuries” and was airlifted to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola Hospital in critical condition, Crawford said.

The second victim suffered lacerations to his foot and was taken to Ascension Bay Medical Center in stable condition.

Walton County Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson Jr. told reporters that authorities ordered the beaches closed after the first incident, but the order was not implemented in time before the attack on the teenagers.

Authorities also said it took about an hour and a half to replace the beach warning flags along the coast.

Sheriff Adkinson Jr. said the last shark attack in the county was in 2021 and the last shark-related death was in 2005.

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“This is an anomaly … everything from the three victims to the point where it happens,” the sheriff said. “All we can do is react, control and mitigate what we can.”

Walton County authorities have contacted marine wildlife experts at Mote Marine in Pensacola, Florida, to assist in the investigation of the incident, Sheriff Adkinson Jr. said.

3 swimmers attacked by sharks off Florida Panhandle. Originally published on abcnews.go.com