Australian man dies after New Caledonia shark attack

CCTV footage has emerged of the shocking moments after a fatal shark attack at a beach in New Caledonia. See the video.

Shocking CCTV footage has captured the moments just after a shark mauled an Australian man to death in New Caledonia.

The 59-year-old tourist was swimming close to a pontoon around 150 metres from the beach in the capital Noumea on Sunday when a shark, understood to be a 4m-long tiger shark attacked, biting him several times, police said.

Two people sailing their boat nearby rushed him back to the beach, where emergency services tried to save him. The man had major bite wounds in his leg and both arms, local prosecutor Yves Dupas told AFP.

A witness said the man was bitten on the legs and had lost one arm and his hand from the other arm in the attack.

The CCTV video shows thrashing about in the water before a jet ski brings the man’s body back to shore.

He died at the scene despite receiving cardiac massage.

Many people were in the water at the time and witnessed the incident at the Chateau-Royal beach just south of Noumea.

There was a panicked rush back onto the beach and police evacuated the area.

An Australian man has died after being severely injured in a shark attack at a beach in Noumea, New Caledonia.

Noumea’s mayor, Sonia Lagarde, ordered the closure of most beaches in the area and the capture of tiger sharks and bull sharks in nearby waters.

Drones were deployed to track them and two were sighted before operations were suspended at nightfall, police said.

The prosecutor said an investigation would shed more light on the circumstances of the attack, which happened inside the zone watched over by lifeguards.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who has died in New Caledonia, a spokesman told News Corp.

“DFAT offers its condolences to the family, who has requested privacy at this difficult time.

Owing to our privacy obligations and out of respect for the family’s wishes, we are unable to provide further comment,” the spokesman said.

A 49-year-old swimmer was seriously injured by a shark last month, also near the Chateau-Royal beach.

A surfer was also attacked by a shark a few days later but escaped without injury.

New Caledonia lies south of Vanuatu and 1,200 kilometres east of Australia.

It ranks 13th in the world for the total number of shark attacks, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History, which has kept a tally of worldwide shark attacks since 1958.

- With AFP.