Large shark snatches young boy from fishing boat

A father-son fishing trip went horribly wrong when an unnamed 10-year-old boy was dragged off of the fishing vessel by a shark. The boy's father and two other men jumped into the water and managed to save the child. After being treated at a hospital for his injuries, the boy is fortunately in a stable condition.

On Friday, July 17, the boy was on a 6-foot long fishing vessel off the coast of Tasmania, Australia. The child from north-west Tasmania was snatched from the boat by the predatory fish. It dragged the child into the water and mauled him. As soon as the child was dragged off the boat, his father and two other men went into the water after him.

The men managed to scare off the shark before bringing the child back onto the boat. Suffering deep cuts to his arms, chest and head, the child was rushed to North West Regional Hospital where he received emergency medical care.

The child was eventually moved to Launceston General Hospital this evening, where his treatment will continue. Ambulance Tasmania confirmed that the child has been in a stable condition since the attack. It was reported that the child was wearing a personal flotation device at the time of the incident.

Stanley resident and diver Ben Allen claimed that he saw the family return to shore with the wounded boy. He narrated that the family was busy on the boat cleaning fish when the boy was bitten. He believes that the shark had let go of the boy after dragging him into the water and the father reacted instinctively.

Allen claims that the shark was a great white shark, however, the species of the shark involved has not been confirmed. Allen pointed out that there is a seal rookery nearby where the great white sharks come to feed.

Allen continued to narrate the incidents he witnessed after the family made it back to the shore. He said that one of his friends administered first aid on the child. The family then took him to a nearby shop where he was dried off while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.

The Tasmania police had issued a warning around 2 pm local time of a large shark 10 kilometres from Stanley. It is unknown if the same shark was responsible for the attack.