U.S. Diver Killed in Shark Attack off Australian Coast

An American diver was killed in a shark attack off the coast of Western Australia coast Saturday, the second such attack in the last 12 days.

The 32-year-old man was diving alone off a 25-foot boat. According to the BBC, witnesses on the boat saw a large amount of bubbles surfacing, followed by the diver's body with "obviously fatal injuries."

Two people on the boat described seeing a 10-foot great white shark in the water as they were leaving the area with the body.

The man's name and hometown have not yet been released, but he had been working in Western Australia for the last six months on a visa. Authorities are still trying to contact his family.

The state government has promised to hunt and destroy the shark, and is considering more aircraft surveillance off west coast beaches, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Two weeks ago, a 64-year-old man was killed in an apparent shark attack at another Western Australia beach. His body was not recovered, though his swim trunks were later retrieved with signs said to be consistent with a shark attack.

Authorities said they don't know whether the same shark is responsible for both tragedies, but the local police sergeant said weather conditions were similar on both days.

“It’s a cloudy old day today which is the same as we had the other day with Cottesloe [Beach], and they’re the conditions that sharks love,” Western Australia Police Sgt. Gerry Cassidy said.

In September, a 21-year-old bodyboarder was bitten in half in a shark attack south of the beach where Saturday's attack occurred.