US marine injured after 8th shark attack in North Carolina in 3 weeks

A US marine has been bitten by a shark off the coast of North Carolina in what became the eighth such attack in the area in the past three weeks.

Medical personal from Camp Lejeune said the 32-year-old was bitten offshore at Surf City and suffered non-serious injuries to his right hand and forearm.

Base spokesman Nat Fahy confirmed the marine was taken to a nearby hospital on 4 July and released the next day.

North Carolina had already set a record for the number of shark attacks in the 80 years since records began prior to the latest incident.

The injuries have ranged from a 17-year-old boy who was left in critical condition after being bitten on his right calf, buttocks and both hands, to two teenagers who lost their limbs in separate attacks after being mauled by a shark.

An eight-year-old boy has also been targeted in the recent spate of attacks but only received minor wounds to his heel and ankle.

Governor Pat McCrory has said safety officials are trying to establish if there are any patterns in the attacks in order to give advice to locals and tourists.