Three people, including two teenagers, were bitten by sharks in two separate incidents at beaches in Walton County, Florida, on Friday, according to authorities.
A 45-year-old woman was swimming with her husband at Watersound Beach when a shark bit her around 1:20 p.m., causing serious injuries to her body. Part of her left arm had to be amputated, and she was taken to HCA Fort Walton-Destin Hospital in critical condition.
About 90 minutes later, a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl were in waist-deep water near Seacrest Beach when they were also bitten by a shark. One of the girls suffered serious injuries and was flown to Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola Hospital in critical condition. The other girl had minor injuries to her foot and was taken to Ascension Bay Medical Center in stable condition.
Beaches were supposed to be closed after the first incident, but the order was not fully implemented before the second attack. Changing the beach warning flags would have taken about an hour and a half, officials said.
The sheriff of Walton County noted that the last shark attack there was in 2021, and the last shark-related death was in 2005.