Teenage boy mauled to death by shark while swimming off South Australia coast just days after Christmas

A TEENAGE boy was mauled to death in a horror shark attack today just off a popular south Australian beach.

The young swimmer’s body was pulled from the water near Ethel Beach in the Innes National Park.

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Emergency services rushed to the scene but the boys injuries were said to be ‘unsurvivable’[/caption]

The attack took place around 1.30pm local time on Yorke Peninsula and emergency services rushed to the area – but it was too late.

“Sadly the body of a teenage boy was recovered from the water,” an SA Police spokesperson said.

“Yorke Mid North Police, Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators attended at the scene.”

Ethel Beach is a popular 450m-long spot for surfing and tourists, which is accessed by a sealed off road.

A local fisherman said the huge sharks were a common sighting in the area, the Mail reports.

“We’ve seen some pretty big bronzies in the area, but that’s normal here,” he said.

“I went to take the boat out and the road to Ethel’s was blocked by rangers.

“There’s no cell reception out there in the park so we didn’t know what had happened until we got back to Marion Bay.”

South Australia has been experiencing a spate of shark attacks in recent months, with two fatalities.

In May, teacher Simon Baccanello was believed to have been killed by a shark while surfing near Ellison on the west coast.

And in November, 55-year-old surfer Tod Gendle was mauled to death by a Great White south of Streaky Bay.

Only a week later, Bridgette O’Shannessy, 32, was viciously attacked in while swimming off south of Adelaide.

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