An Australian surfer who lost a leg in a shark attack on Tuesday died in Royal Perth Hospital on Friday night.
Ben Gerring was with a group of surfers at Falcon Beach in Western Australia when a suspected great white shark attacked him and ripped off his right leg above the knee. His surfboard was also snapped into two halves.
Other surfers immediately rushed to help him in getting out of the water and gave him first aid before he was taken to the hospital.
The Western Australia Police told AFP: "Tragically, the man was unable to recover from his injury and passed away last night (Friday)."
The 29-year-old surfer's family thanked everyone involved in rescuing and treating him. "The bravery and efforts of his rescuers and the care provided by the doctors and nurses has been amazing," the family said.
"We would also like to thank family and friends for their messages of love and support. They are greatly appreciated," his family added.
The authorities said that a 4.2-metre (nearly 14 foot) shark was caught on Wednesday, close to the place where the incident happened, but they could not confirm whether it was responsible for the accident.
According to the International Shark Attack File report, deadly attacks are relatively rare. Last year there were 98 shark attacks worldwide, out of which only six were dangerous including one attack in Australia.
The Western Australian government has already stopped the process of capturing sharks by attaching baited hooks to floating drums placed near popular beaches in 2014. The state's environmental agency and conservationists opposed the catch-and-kill policy and it was eventually banned.
In an interview with AFP, State Premier Colin Barnett said: "The policy did not prove effective in catching great whites and the great white shark was principally the problem."
Surfing Western Australia events manager Justin Majeks told ABC: "It's unfortunately one of these things we have to deal with here in Western Australia. We have a fairly alive ocean that surrounds our coast."
Shark attacks are increasing day by day according to the experts, as water sports become more popular.
