Officials: Shark attack victims were in waist-deep water
By The Associated Press / June 15, 2015OAK ISLAND, N.C. (AP) — Two young people were vacationing in the beach town of Oak Island, swimming in shallow, waist-deep water, when they were severely injured in shark attacks, town officials said Monday. The attacks — in which a 12-year-old girl lost part of her arm and suffered a leg injury and a 16-year-old boy lost his left arm less than 2 miles away — happened less than 90 minutes apart Sunday, officials said. The call about the girl came in about 4:40 p.m., and the call about the boy at 5:51 p.m., town officials said. Their names haven't been released, but officials said both were on vacation from other parts of North Carolina. Martha Harlan of New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington — about 25 miles away, where both victims were airlifted — said both were in good condition Monday morning after surgery. Officials said they couldn't confirm whether the same shark attacked them or give details on the size of the animal or animals. At the time they were airlifted, the victims' injuries were life-threatening, officials said.
