SYDNEY - A Swiss tourist was killed and another seriously injured on Thursday in a shark attack on a beach near a popular surf spot on Australia's east coast, authorities said.
Emergency services were called on Thursday morning to Kylies Beach at Crowdy Bay near Port Macquarie, about 350 km (218 miles) north of Sydney, after reports two people were bitten by a shark, New South Wales state police said.
A woman, believed to be in her 20s and not formally identified yet, died at the scene. A man, also believed to be in his 20s, was airlifted to hospital in critical condition.
The pair were known to each other, Police Chief Inspector Timothy Bayly told a news conference.
The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed both were Swiss nationals.
"One Swiss national lost her life, and another Swiss national was injured," it said in a statement.
The Swiss Consulate General in Sydney was in contact with authorities and supporting their relatives, the statement added.
New South Wales Ambulance Superintendent Josh Smyth said a witness at the beach treated the man with a "makeshift tourniquet", potentially saving his life and giving emergency services time to treat him with first aid.
"The courage from some bystanders is amazing, and in this situation to put yourself out there is very heroic, and it did give us time to get to that male patient," Smyth said.
Kylies Beach has been closed as authorities look to determine the species of shark involved. Drumlines have also been deployed in the hopes of catching the shark.
The attack came two months after a man was killed by a shark while surfing at Long Reef Beach in Sydney's north.
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