A 13-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy each lost an arm on Sunday, June 14 in separate shark attacks at the same North Carolina beach, CNN reports.
According to Oak Island Mayor, Betty Wallace the female swimmer was attacked first, around 4:15 p.m and less than 90 minutes later, as responders were still tending to her, another attack was witnessed with the 16-year-old boy.
Both victims were airlifted to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, but arrived in critical condition, according to hospital spokeswoman Martha Harlan.
Harlan said each victim had an arm amputated, the boy had his below the shoulder, while the girl had hers at the elbow. The girl also sustained serious tissue damage to her leg, according to Harlan. The condition of both patients — whose names are not being released — have since been upgraded to “fair”.
One of the first on-duty paramedics at the scene, Tracy Carnes, credited bystanders’ help for saving the girl’s life.
“The outpouring of help from the bystanders was amazing,” she told CNN’s Erin Burnett. “The tourniquets were in place by the time I got there.”
The Oak Island beaches were reportedly open on Monday, but in contrast to most summer days, virtually no one was in the water. The beach was not empty, but nearly everyone stayed on dry land.
Photo Credit: ABC News
