'It bit a man's arm off:' 911 calls reveal panicked onlookers after shark attacks two teenagers
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Version 0 of 1. 911 calls to police have revealed the terror and horror of the recent shark attacks at beaches in Oak Island, North Carolina. Two teenagers lost limbs just a few miles and an hour and 20 minutes apart on 14 June, with both swimming 18 metres offshore in waist-high water. A 12-year-old girl lost her left arm below the elbow and injured her leg, while a 16-year-old boy lost his left arm above the elbow. Recordings of calls to the police show the hysteria and panic on the beaches following the attacks: "It bit a man's arm off! He's bleeding, we need an ambulance!" cries one individual, with the 911 operator asking the caller whether the individual was still alert. In another call, a 911 operator asks, "Are any of the fingers completely amputated?" The caller responds, "It looks like their entire hand is gone." Warning: Some may find the following calls distressing: Randy Giles and his fiancee, Schalene Wolford, were on the beach when attack on the girl occurred, believing it at first to be a jellyfish sting. "But when (the man next to her) pulled her out of the water, she was bleeding and a lot of her arm was bit off, so I knew it was a shark," Giles said. Surgeons had to amputate the girl's left arm below the elbow while the boy lost his arm below his shoulder. The pair were said to be in a good condition on the evening of 15 June. Deputies have said they saw a 7-ft long shark in the area near to where the attacks occurred. While authorities have said they are not trying to hunt a shark down at the moment, safety officials were seen scouting for sharks from both boats and a helicopter on 15 June. Additional reporting by the AP. |