A man has been killed by a shark as he swam off a popular beach near Perth in Western Australia, police said.
According to RTE, this marks the fourth death from a shark attack in Australia this year.
A Western Australia state police spokeswoman said in a statement via RTE: "It was reported a male swimmer had been bitten by a shark while swimming along the coast. The swimmer died as a result of the attack."
Police helicopters and boats were deployed to search the waters off Sorrento Beach after emergency services were called to the area, officials said.
Beaches in the surrounding area have been closed until further notice as authorities investigate the incident.
Local media reported that witnesses saw blood in the water following the attack.
Surf Life Saving WA said in a social media post that an unidentified species of shark was involved in the incident, which occurred around 50 metres offshore.
The latest incident comes amid a number of fatal shark attacks recorded across Australia this year.
The latest attack follows several serious shark incidents across Australia this year.
A 12-year-old boy died in Sydney Harbour in January, while three divers were killed in separate attacks between May and June. Another woman suffered severe injuries and later had part of her arm amputated after an attack in Sydney.
Records show Australia has seen around 1,300 shark incidents since 1791, with more than 260 deaths.
