They noticed the tail and fin, but it was too late. The 65-year-old did not survive the shark attack

The shark's tail and fin were spotted

The accident occurred on Tuesday morning local time. The woman was swimming with a group of people at Orient Beach in KuGompo City (formerly East London) in South Africa. At one point, as the witness put it, the 65-year-old signaled that she had a problem.

A local community organization reported that other swimmers spotted the shark's tail and fin, CBS News reported.

Nearby beaches were closed

The bite wounds were very serious, but there were only two: one on the thigh and one on the upper arm, a witness told a South African public broadcaster. He said the woman was transported back to shore, where she was pronounced dead on the beach.

In a social media post, the local city hall only said that a shark had attacked KuGompo City, resulting in a "tragic event," Reuters reported. The authority also announced that Orient Beach and nearby Eastern Beach were closed until further notice.

How many shark attacks have there been recently?

In 2025, there were 65 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide, 9 of which turned out to be fatal, according to the international shark attack registry kept by the University of Florida. Last year, there was one shark attack in South Africa that resulted in the death of the victim.

In turn, in 2022, as CBS News recalled, there were two fatal shark attacks in South Africa. One of the victims was a 39-year-old woman who was on vacation with her husband and small child at the time.