Two teenagers suffered serious injuries from two separate shark attacks in a North Carolina town, Sunday, with beachgoers describing the horrifying scene, theguardian.com reports.
The unnamed teenagers, a 13-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy, both lost limbs in the incident.
The first victim was the 13-year-old girl who was visiting from Asheboro, N.C. and was at the Oak Island near the Ocean Crest Fishing Pier. According to officials, the attack took place at about 4:40 p.m. severing the girl's left arm and possibly also losing her left leg. At about 5:51, just a little over an hour later, a second attack has been reported from two miles away involving the 16-year-old boy from Colorado Springs, losing his left arm.
Both victims were airlifted to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington and arrived in critical condidtion, says the hospital's spokeswoman, Martha Harlan.
Steve Bouser, a beachgoer who was able to witness the incident gave a statement to Associated Press. "I saw someone carry this girl [out of the water] and people were swarming around and trying to help," "It was quite terrible."
Bystanders were quick to apply makeshift tourniquets to control the heavy bleeding and were making sure that the girl remains conscious by asking her questions.
It was "quite nightmarish", Bouser said.
His wife, Brenda Bouser, said: "It was so much like a scene from Jaws."
According to reports, both victims were in waist-deep water, 20 yards from shore when the attack took place. Officials encouraged people to remain in shallow water as they patrol the area, according to foxnews.com.
"The Brunswick county sheriff's department will have Marine One and their helicopter support to monitor the coastline for any activities tomorrow," Tim Holloman, Oak Island's manager, told ABC news.
He added that he has never seen anything like what happened on Sunday in 16 years. "Oak Island is still a safe place." "We're monitoring the situation. This is highly unusual."
George Burgess of the University of Florida, who has been studying sharks for 40 years, found the incident highly unusual, he told ABC news. "This is the real deal threat." "This is highly unusual - I have seen this twice in 40 years. Once in Egypt and once in the Florida Panhandle."
