A woman screamed out the warning "shark" as she was mauled underwater - but her friends thought she was joking, Australian police said today.
Sarah Whiley (21) died last night of severe injuries after being attacked near North Stradbroke Island, east of the Queensland state capital Brisbane.
She was swimming with a group of friends from a church group when she was pulled underwater for about five seconds then emerged and called out "Shark!" said Queensland police inspector Peter Harding.
"Of course people at the time thought she was only joking - until they saw the blood," he said today.
Insp Harding said officers were searching for the predators and had closed several nearby beaches.
Ms Whiley was airlifted to a Brisbane hospital where she had to have both arms amputated just below the elbow, according to Queensland Rescue Helicopter spokeswoman Helen Anderson. She also suffered deep wounds to her legs and torso.
Insp Harding said the severity of Whiley's injuries indicated she may have been attacked by a group of bull sharks, a species known for aggressive behaviour this time of year.
"She was bleeding quite heavily ... (from) what I've seen and what I've been told, there was more than one shark involved, there could have been up to three," he said.
AP