Girl (10) stable after shark attack in Australia

A 10-year-old girl has been attacked by a shark off Australia’s east coast, officials said today.

A spokeswoman for the New South Wales state ambulance service said they received a report that the youngster had been bitten on the wrist by a shark off a beach at Lennox Head 200km (120 miles) south of Brisbane.

Paramedics treated the girl at the scene for a serious injury to her hand and took her to a local hospital, where she was reported to be in a stable condition.

Although sharks are common off Australia’s coast, the country averages fewer than two fatal attacks per year.

Two men were killed in shark attacks off Australia’s east and west coasts in the space of a week in November last year. They were the only fatalities in 2013.