Man dies in shark attack in Western Australia

Police were called to Cable Beach, a popular tourist spot on Australia’s Indian Ocean coast, at about 8:40 a.m. (0040 GMT).

The 55-year-old was pulled from the water with serious injuries and treated by police before paramedics arrived.

He died at the scene, police said.

Local media reports said the man was bitten on the upper thigh and hand.

Western Australia state Premier Mark McGowan described the attack as a "tragic" and "shocking circumstance."

The species of shark involved in the attack is not known.

Park rangers immediately closed the beach and a fisheries vessel was assigned to patrol the area.

The victim was the eighth to die in a shark attack in Australia this year, the highest toll since 1929 when nine died.

The introduction of shark nets at popular beaches in the 1930s led to a significant fall in fatal attacks.

The most recent previous attack in Western Australia occurred on October 9 ,when a surfer was taken by a shark at Esperance on the state's south coast.