New Zealand woman, 19, dies after suspected shark attack

According to local police, the woman was injured while in the waters off Waihī Beach late on Thursday afternoon, and died shortly after.

New Zealand police on Friday identified the woman as 19-year-old Kaelah Marlow from the city of Hamilton, about 391 kilometers (243 miles) from the capital Wellington.

“Initial indications suggest she may have been injured by a shark,” New Zealand police said in a news release Thursday.

Police said the coroner will ultimately release the cause of Marlow’s death.

“We appreciate her death was extremely traumatic for those who were at Waihī Beach yesterday and we are offering Victim Support services to anyone who requires it,” police added.

Shark attacks in New Zealand are rare. The last fatal shark attack took place in 2013, when a swimmer aged in his 40s was killed offshore, near the popular Muriwai Beach, west of Auckland.

A non-fatal shark attack last took place in 2018, according to the New Zealand police website. A man was attacked by a shark and was flown to a hospital for treatment.