Man fighting for his life after shark attack at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

A 59-year-old man is fighting for his life after a shark attacked him at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, officials said.

The unidentified man had been spearfishing Sunday before his encounter with the shark north of the Queensland city of Townsville, rescuers said.

He was airlifted from Britomart Reef to Townsville Hospital, where he is being treated in critical condition.

“There was obviously evidence of a very significant shark bite to the patient’s upper thigh, pelvic region,” said David Humphreys, a doctor with medevac group LifeFlight Australia.

“He remained in a critical condition after our interventions and he’s now undergoing emergency surgery here in the hospital.”

There have been seven unprovoked shark attacks this year in Australia, including two in Queensland, the Taronga Conservation Society Australia said.

With Post wires