Some beaches in the Florida Panhandle are temporarily closed to swimmers after two reported shark attacks

SEACREST, Fla. – Two reported shark attacks prompted authorities to temporarily close beaches in Walton County on the Florida Panhandle to swimmers on Friday.

The first attack occurred in the afternoon when a woman was injured by a shark near Watersound, the county sheriff’s office said. She was taken to a medical facility for treatment.

Later in the day, firefighters responded to an incident near Inlet Beach “after there were multiple reports of a teenager injured by a shark,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Water is now closed to the public in Walton County,” the office wrote in a social media post.

Nothing could initially be said about the condition of the two people and the extent of their injuries.

Also on Friday, a woman was seriously injured in a suspected shark attack in the waters off the island of Oahu, Hawaii officials said.

According to experts, shark attacks are rare.

According to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File, there were 69 unprovoked bites worldwide last year, 10 of which were fatal, more than the recent average of six deaths per year.