Officials reportedly believe a single shark attacked four different beachgoers on the fourth of July in South Padre Island, Texas.
Two of the victims were bitten while one was grazed, sustaining minor injuries, according to multiple reports. A fourth individual managed to fight off the shark, but still required stitches after the attack, a local ABC affiliate, KRGV 5, reported.
Rayner Cardenas, the father-in-law of one of the victims, recounted the harrowing encounter.
“I turned around, and he wasn’t there anymore,” he told KRGV 5. “I started swimming towards him and he jumped out of the water saying, ‘shark, shark, shark,’ and that’s when adrenaline kicked in. I started swimming after him.” (RELATED: Man Survives Shark Attack After Fighting Back: REPORT)
Cardenas managed to rescue his son-in-law, bringing him to the shore as bystanders helped.
The incident has left the community in shock. Texas officials explained that shark attacks are rare in the area.
“I’ve lived here 14 years, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said South Padre Island Fire Chief Jim Pigg, according to KRGV 5.
“The shark was located at the south end of the island and was pushed out to deeper water,” Pigg told Fox 9. “This is a very rare occurrence that happened on the beaches of South Padre. No further sightings or encounters in the last few hours, but we’ll maintain vigilance.”
Mean while in South Padre Island a tragic Fourth of July for some 💔 pic.twitter.com/onx10cvwZ0
— J LpZ (@janelpz30) July 4, 2024
Video footage captured by beachgoers shows the aftermath of the attacks. In one clip, a woman can be seen lying in the water, bleeding from her calf where the shark had bitten her. Bystanders applied a makeshift tourniquet.
Shark attacks in Texas occur once per year, according to Shark Sider, making this incident an outlier. There were 69 unprovoked shark attacks recorded in 2023, according to the Florida Museum.
