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Surfer Dies In Shark Attack In South Africa

A surfer died after being attacked by a shark near Africa’s Cape Town Tuesday.

Van Heerde, 49, was reportedly attacked while surfing at Plettenberg Bay. He was surfing with a large group of surfers when he was reportedly bitten in the groin and the femoral artery was severed.

According to Bloomberg, the surfer was confirmed as a local resident and that surfers who witnessed the attack believe it was a great white shark over 6-feet long that attacked Heerde. According to News24, the NSRI advised swimmers and surfers stay out of the water as a precautionary measure.

This attack follows a string of shark attacks off of South Africa’s waters in recent weeks. Earlier this month a shark attack claimed one life in Seychelles-an archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

According to CBS/AP, Ian Redmond, 30, of England was attacked by a shark while snorkling only 20 yards from the shore. He suffered injuries to his leg and arm and died shortly after the attack.

Redmond was on his honeymoon and was snorkling off Anse Lazio beach on Paslin island in the Seychelles when he was mauled by a six-foot shark.

Only a short time before Redmond’s death, a 36-year-old French tourist was bitten by a shark in the same area. Officials reportedly believed the shark that attacked Redmond was the same “rouge shark” that attacked earlier this month. The two attacks prompted a Seychelles government official to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the attacks and announce a temporary ban on swimming in the area.