An abnormal disaster took place on the 4th of July on the South Padre Island in Texas. In the span of two hours, a shark managed to attack four beachgoers. One woman had a chunk taken out of her calf from the shark biting her. Another man was dragged under the water and bitten, causing him to quickly be taken to the hospital.
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I'm going to link to the video showing the aftermath of one of the shark attacks. But be warned: while the actual bite is blurred out, you can still see all the blood in the water.
JUST IN: Four shark attacks reported at South Padre Island in Texas during Fourth of July celebrations.
Game Warden Capt. Chris Dowdy says all the attacks happened within two hours of each other.
One woman had a chunk bitten out her her leg as Good Samaritans were seen dragging? pic.twitter.com/Ng4aMKhjmi
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 5, 2024
Cameron County officials addressed the tragedy in a press release. "Due to the abnormal and unprecedented wave of shark-related encounters, Cameron County requests that beachgoers and swimmers take precautions when going to the beach and entering the water as there have been two instances of shark bites, and two additional encounters that occurred during the 4th of July holiday earlier today," the release states.
The father-in-law of one of the bite victims spoke to KRGV about the abrupt, horrific nature of the attack. "I turned around, and he wasn't there anymore," said Rayner Cardenas. "[Cardenas] started swimming towards him, and he jumped out of the water saying 'shark, shark, shark.' And that's when adrenaline kicked in. I started swimming after him."
Four Beachgoers Are Attacked By A Shark On The 4th Of July
The two other swimmers suffered minor injuries. One was grazed while the other fought off the shark and received stitches. Reportedly, this attack marks the first in the area in over five years.
"Shark encounters of this nature are not a common occurrence in Texas," officials stated. "When bites from sharks do occur, they are usually a case of mistaken identity by sharks looking for food."
The shark retreated into deeper waters following the string of attacks. There are no plans to corner the apex predator, though officials are monitoring the shores with drones. Presently, the conditions of all four victims are unknown. When we at Wide Open Country learn more about the unprecedented shark attack, we'll be sure to keep our readership informed.
