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Two People Attacked By Sharks In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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Kay Smythe News and Commentary Writer
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Two people were attacked Thursday by sharks while swimming in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The first victim, Pennsylvania native Karren Sites, was only waist deep in the water when she was bitten on the arm, according to WPDE. Her 8-year-old grandson was 10 feet away when the attack occurred, the outlet noted.

“I couldn’t even see the shark coming up, but all I saw was the shark jumped up and it didn’t even bite all the way, like I saw the movement of the tail go to the side and then she screamed a little bit and as soon as she touched it, it fell into the water,” Sites’ grandson told the outlet.

Sites was transported to a local hospital shortly after the bite, undergoing surgery and receiving hundreds of stitches, WPDE continued. Despite the encounter, Sites is planning to return to the beach after she gets the all-clear, according to the outlet.

Later that same day, another person was bitten by a shark just a few blocks away from the first attack, the New York Post reported. No details were immediately available from local law enforcement, and it is unclear whether the same shark is responsible for both attacks, Newsweek noted. (RELATED: Alligator Drags Man Into Pond, Kills Him)

The South Carolina coast is home to twelve different shark species, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Four attacks have been reported in the area in 2022, up from one attack in 2020, Newsweek noted.