Seventh shark attack in three weeks in US

A shark bit a 68-year-old man several times off North Carolina, officials have said. The attack is the seventh such incident in the US state’s coastal waters in less than three weeks.

The man suffered wounds to his ribcage, lower leg, hip and hands as he tried to fight off the animal at a beach on Ocracoke Island, said Justin Gibbs, a local emergency official.

“The individual was actually located right in front of the lifeguard tower when it occurred,” said Mr Gibbs, who added that witnesses reported the animal was about 7ft long.