A woman attacked by a shark in Southland is now in intensive care after undergoing surgery and faces a “long road to recovery”.
The 21-year-old suffered a significant leg wound in a late-night shark attack while wading in knee-deep water at about 2am yesterday.
Southland Police said the woman was walking through the water in an estuary near the Riverton rugby grounds when she was bitten by the shark.
“She received a significant laceration to her leg that required treatment from emergency services,” a police spokesperson said.
“The culprit is possibly a sevengill shark, which is present in the estuary. The time of day is a possible factor.”
The victim’s mother told the New Zealand Herald this afternoon that her daughter “has a long recovery ahead of her”.
”She is in ICU under the care of my brother and she is doing well after surgery.”
The family was flying to Invercargill to be with the victim at Southland Hospital.
”We are from Riverton, so this will hit the community hard as this is an area that many people take their children to.”
The mother told the Herald she was in London when she heard the news and booked a flight home as soon as possible.
A Southern Te Whatu Ora spokeswoman said the woman was in a stable condition.
Hato Hone St John confirmed they were notified at 2.27am on Monday “of an incident involving an animal”.
“We responded [with] one ambulance and one rapid response unit to Leader Street, Riverton,” a spokesman said.
“Our paramedics treated and transported one patient in a serious condition to Southland Hospital.”
