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During the 4th of July celebrations, a shark attack off South Padre Island, Texas, left beachgoers in shock as at least two individuals were reported bitten. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, there are suspicions that the same shark was involved in the incidents.
They also noted that two additional people encountered the shark but did not suffer serious injuries. Of those injured, two were taken to Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville for treatment; one of these individuals was later transferred to another hospital by air.
The specifics of their conditions and identities remain undisclosed.
South Padre Island Fire Chief Jim Pigg clarified in an audio statement that three victims required hospitalization while another person received on-site medical attention for minor wounds. He mentioned that the shark was located at the island’s south end and had been directed back to deeper waters.
In the wake of these events, around 11 a.m. on Thursday, South Padre Island police were dispatched following reports of a man severely injured by a shark on the 4100 block of Gulf Boulevard. This victim received initial treatment on the scene.
Not long after, police responded to another incident involving a woman who suffered a shark bite to her left leg while swimming. Footage from this incident, shared by CBS >News, depicted bystanders and first responders helping the victim on the shore and the application of a tourniquet to her leg, with a shark visible near the shore.
The exact kind of shark and the reasons behind these attacks are still under investigation, according to Pigg, who described the incidents as “unprecedented” for the area. Dr. Kelsey Banks of the Center for Sportfish Science and Conservation at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi speculated from social media videos that the shark could be one of the larger coastal species known to exhibit increased feeding behaviors and remain closer to shorelines before significant weather changes.
Following these events, officials initiated a search for the shark using drones, boats, and a helicopter and considered closing the beach to prevent further incidents, as confirmed by a Coast at Guard officer to CBS News. South Padre Island is renowned for its resorts and beaches along its 113-mile-long barrier island at the southern tip of Texas.