SYDNEY (REUTERS) - A surfer was missing off an Australian beach on Friday (Oct 9) after a shark attacked him and other surfers tried unsuccessfully to pull him from the water, the authorities said.
The missing surfer is an adult male but the authorities gave no further details about his identity. Rescuers pulled a surfboard from the water and the beach at Wylie Bay, 700km south-east of Perth, was closed, police said.
"Unfortunately, he hasn't been recovered at this point in time," Mr Mark McGowan, premier of Western Australia state, told reporters.
"It's a very, very difficult and potentially tragic situation happening."
Police said they received a report of a possible shark attack at Wylie Bay at about 10.45am (0245 GMT).
A search and rescue operation was going on, police said.