A swimmer off the coast of Perth in Western Australia was killed by a shark on Friday, police said.

Emergency services were called to Sorrento Beach in the north of the city to search for the man. Earlier, witnesses said they had watched the man being attacked by a shark, with blood pooling in the water, Australian media reported.

It is unclear whether any remains were recovered, and no details of the victim's identity have yet been shared.

"It was reported a male swimmer had been bitten by a shark while swimming along the coast," a Western Australia state police spokeswoman said in a statement.

"The swimmer died as a result of the attack."

The beach was closed following the attack.

Several killed this year by sharks

Friday's incident would be the fifth fatal shark attack in Australia this year. Previously, there were four confirmed fatal shark attacks.

In May and June, three spearfishing divers were killed by sharks in seperate incidents. In January, a 12-year-old boy died in hospital after being mauled by a bull shark in Sydney Harbor.

On Monday, a surfer was severely wounded in the leg near the city of Geraldton, 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Perth on Australia's west coast.

Over the past 25 years, Australia has averaged between two and three fatal shark attacks annually, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database.

Edited by: Natalie Muller

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