Some Florida Panhandle beaches are temporarily closed to swimmers after 2 reported shark attacks

SEACREST, Fla. (AP) — Two reported shark attacks Friday led authorities to temporary close beaches to swimmers in Walton County, on the Florida Panhandle.

The first attack happened in the afternoon when a woman was injured by a shark near Watersound, the county sheriff’s office said. She was taken to a medical facility for treatment.

Later in the day, firefighters responded to an incident near Inlet Beach “following multiple reports of a teenager injured by a shark,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The water is now closed to the public in Walton County,” the office wrote in a social media post.

The condition of the two people and the extent of their injuries were not immediately available.

Also Friday, in Hawaii, a woman was seriously injured in an apparent shark attack in the waters off the island of Oahu, officials said.

Shark attacks are rare, according to experts.

There were 69 unprovoked bites last year worldwide, and 10 of those were fatal, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File. That was higher than the recent average of six deaths per year.

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