The waters off Walton County, Florida, were closed Friday after back-to-back shark bite incidents.
Both incidents occurred in Walton County — which is in the Florida Panhandle — and not near a boat, but officials do not know how far from land the attacks occurred, said Mackenzie McClintock, a spokesperson for the South Walton Fire District.
The two incidents occurred about four miles apart within a span of about 90 minutes, said South Walton Fire District Chief Ryan Crawford. There were three victims in total.
It is “extremely unusual” for two biting incidents to occur in one afternoon, Crawford said during an evening news briefing.
A 45-year-old woman was injured in the first ‘reported shark incident’. It happened in the water around 1:20 p.m. in Watersound, in the area of Founders Way in Watersound Beach, Crawford and the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said.
Crawford said the woman was swimming with her husband along the first sandbar when the bite occurred.
“She suffered significant trauma to the abdomen and pelvic area, as well as an amputation of her left forearm,” Crawford said.
The woman was transported to a medical center in critical condition, Crawford said.
She was in stable condition Saturday, said Elizabeth Eulber, a spokesperson for HCA Fort Walton-Destin Hospital.
After the initial attack, beaches in surrounding areas flew double red flags to indicate the risk, the sheriff’s office said. The Gulf in the Walton County area was also closed to the public at the time.
Shortly thereafter, at 2:56 p.m., the sheriff’s office and fire department responded to a second shark incident in the Sandy Shores Court area near Seacrest Beach in Walton County.
There were two victims in that attack, Crawford said: two girls between the ages of 15 and 17.
They were with a group of friends “just inside the first sandbar,” Crawford said, making the location “very similar” to the first attack.
The first victim had “significant injuries” to one upper and lower extremity, Crawford said. She was transported to a trauma center in critical condition.
The second victim had “flesh wounds” to her right foot and is in stable condition, Crawford said.
Walton County Sheriff Mike Adkinson said both women who were seriously injured have a “fighting chance” thanks to the quick responses of both area citizens and first responders.
Officials have contacted experts from Mote Marine, of Sarasota, Florida, Adkinson said, to see if there is anything “abnormal” about the twin attacks, although he said he doesn’t think there is.
McClintock said officials don’t know what type of shark bit both victims, but sharks are common in these waters.
After the second attack, officials shut off water to the public throughout Walton County. The water reopened Saturday with a red flag, indicating high surf and strong currents, and a purple flag for stinging marine life.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
